


Apprentice  (Star Wars / Alex Rider Crossover)

by AlissaK_17



Category: Alex Rider - Anthony Horowitz, Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: Action, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Captured, Double Agents, Force Training (Star Wars), Gen, Jedi, Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi, Light Angst, Lightsaber, Padawan, Padawan Alex Rider, Post-Book 9: Scorpia Rising (Alex Rider), Post-Order 66 (Star Wars), Post-Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith, Prison, Resistance, Sith, Spies, Starwars - Freeform, The Force, Thriller, prisoner, space
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-25
Updated: 2021-02-25
Packaged: 2021-03-16 10:14:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 25
Words: 40,755
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29698995
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlissaK_17/pseuds/AlissaK_17
Summary: Obi-Wan Kenobi is living out his days in exile. Just when he thinks that his life has reached its peak amount of excitement, he has a strange visitor -- his former Master, Qui-Gon Jinn. Qui-Gon tells him of a young boy who Obi-Wan should train as a new apprentice. There is something odd about this arrangement, though: Obi-Wan had met this boy before, years ago......Alex thought he was done with adventure, now that he was living in California with the Pleasure family. He was done with MI6 and done with spying. But when he gets a strange visitor from far, far away, he doesn't know what to think. He has a chance to go with this man and have a chance to save the galaxy. But will he accept?This story is based on the fact that both Ian Rider and Obi-Wan Kenobi are played by Ewan McGregor. Just an idea I had, so I decided to run with it. It is set after Alex Rider: Scorpia Rising and Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith.
Relationships: Alex Rider & Ian Rider, Helen Rider/John Rider, Ian Rider & John Rider
Kudos: 1





	1. New Beginnings

**New Beginnings**

Alex Rider walked slowly through the park. It was a sunny day in the beginning of May. One hand was in his pocket, the other holding the backpack that was slung over his shoulder.

_Only a few more weeks of school, and then I'm free for the summer,_ he thought. He was ready for summer. His math teacher was annoying, his science teacher boring, and his history teacher just rubbed him the wrong way. Alex smiled to himself. How nice to be worrying about the things that normal kids worried about. It had been almost three years since he had agreed to work for Alan Blunt of MI6 Special Operations in England. He had been on several missions for them, each time armed with all sorts of neat little gadgets. He knew He was lucky to be alive. He had barely escaped death too many times. After his final mission, he had come to live in America with Sabina Pleasure and her parents. His best friend in the entire world, Jack Starbright, who had been a sort of housekeeper or nanny for him, had been killed, and he had no relatives to look after him. That was when the Pleasure family took him in, and moved to California, where Mr. Pleasure worked as a journalist.

Alex's parents had been killed when he was just three months old, and his uncle took him in. He was gone a lot, and Alex never got to spend too much time with him. It was not until he died that Alex learned that his uncle, as well as his father, were both spies for MI6, whom Alex also worked for. 

Alex liked living with them. The Pleasure were more like friends than parents. He was glad to be allowed to lead a normal life again, but deep down, he knew his life would never be truly normal. They were great people. He needed them. His life as a spy had left many scars on him, both physically and emotionally. When he first moved to the United States, there had been many visits to doctors and psychiatrists. Alex cringed in disgust. He had hated those visits, but in the end, they did help. 

"What do you think, Alex?"

The question snapped him back to reality. "Uh, sure, Sabina," he stammered. He had been lost in his thoughts, and almost forgot that she was walking alongside him.

Sabina laughed. "I was asking what you thought we should do tonight. It's Friday."

"Oh, yeah."

"I can tell you were a million miles away. Dreaming of becoming a spy again?" She raised her eyebrow inquisitively.

He shot her a look. "Of course not."

"Well, what about tonight, then?"

"Pizza and a movie? Just a normal night in?" Alex suggested.

"What movie should we watch?" 

"We could stop at RedBox on the way home. I think they've gotten some new ones since we looked last week. That way, we could stop and pick up a frozen pizza from the store a the same time."

Sabina grinned. "Perfect. Pepperoni?"

Alex grinned back. "Always." Yes, it was good to be normal.

______________________

Far, far away, in a different galaxy, on the remote desert planet of Tatooine, Obi-Wan Kenobi sat in his stone house. He had grown quite bored, which seemed to be the case more often than not these days. Outside, a fierce sandstorm raged, the kind that lasted for days on end. It was the third day, and he had run out of things to do. He sat down at his table and sighed. In the last two days, he had cleaned the entire house from top to bottom, even though it hadn't needed it. He had finished up some little projects around the house, and now he sat. 

"I should go take a nap." He wasn't sure if he had thought it or said it. There was no one to talk to, and Obi-Wan often caught himself thinking out loud. This exile thing was really getting to him. What was becoming of him, he, who had once been a great Jedi Master?

He rose to head to his bedroom. 

"Obi-Wan."

Obi-Wan froze. He knew that voice. He slowly turned around. There, at the end of the room, stood his former master, Qui-Gon Jinn. He was shrouded in a light blue haze. "Master," he said He stood there for a moment, speechless. Finally he found his voice. "It is good to see you. I've waited so long. What brings you?"

"Of course." He gestured to the table. They both had a seat.

"So, it's been a year now," Qui-Gon observed. Obi-Wan nodded grimly. One year ago, his own padawan and best friend, Anakin Skywalker, had turned to the dark side. It was less painful to think that, rather, Darth Vader had killed him. It was hard to believe that behind that black mask was the same person that he had trained in the ways of the Force for many years. 

Seeming to read his thoughts, Qui-gon asked, "Do you blame me for your involvement in his life, for making you promise to train him before I died?"

Obi-Wan sighed. "No, Master. I wouldn't have traded that time training him for anything else. He was my best friend. It's just that..." He sighed heavily. "Can he ever be turned back?"

Obi-Wan thought he saw a glint of hope in his old Master's eyes. "Only time will tell."

They sat in silence for a moment before Qui-Gon asked, "And how are your Jedi skills?"

"Master," Obi-Wan said, "I haven't done anything in the past year. Absolutely nothing. I haven't touched my lightsaber in months. The Force is useless to me here and now."

Qui-Gon smiled and nodded thoughtfully. "You are ready."

Obi-Wan was puzzled. "Ready? Ready for what, Master?"

"You are ready to begin the training."

"Master, I don't understand. My Jedi skills are not up to par. I am not ready to begin any kind of training."

"Obi-Wan," Qui-Gon began, "Do you remember what I said when I first appeared to you? I told you that when you think you are ready, you are not, and when you think you are not ready, that is when you are truly ready."

Obi-Wan nodded. It was nine months ago, but it seemed like an eternity to him. "Yes, Master."

"Well, there you have it."

He was puzzled. "So, what is my training?"

"Well," he began. "Do you remember when you took those missions to Earth?"

Obi-Wan remembered.


	2. Strange Mission

**Strange Mission**

_Seventeen years ago..._

Obi-Wan strode down the corridor of the Jedi Temple on his way to see the Council. He had been summoned for an exclusive meeting with Masters Yoda and Mace Windu. Normally, he would always go to these meetings Master, Qui-Gon Jinn, but he had just been tragically killed just over two weeks ago fighting a Sith. He missed him terribly. He had been a great friend and mentor to Obi-Wan all his years as a padawan. But now, Obi-Wan was a Master with a padawan of his own-- Anakin Skywalker, the amazing boy Qui-Gon had found on the desert planet of Tatooine just a few days ago. As he had been taking his dying breaths after being stabbed with a lightsaber, Qui-God had made Obi-Wan promise to train Anakin, whom he firmly believed to be the prophesied Chosen One.

When he reached the doorway, a protocol droid was waiting there to escort him in.

"Master Kenobi," it greeted him, "This way, please. The Council is ready to see you." The droid pressed a button on the door and it opened. He followed the droid inside to the middle of the room. He looked to the council. "Master Kenobi is here as requested," it announced.

"Thank you, Two-One-Bee," Master Windu said, dismissing the droid.

Obi-Wan gave a slight bow, showing his respect. He looked around the room, and noticed that there were, in fact, only two council members present, as he had expected.

"Master Kenobi, good to see you, it is," Master Yoda greeted him. "A mission for you, we have."

"A mission?"

"Yes," answered Master Windu. "A top secret mission, hence, the absence of the other Council members. 

"They aren't aware of this mission?"

"No. Confidential, it must remain," Yoda replied. "Leave the galaxy, you will. To a far way planet, you must go."

Obi-Wan was puzzled. "Leave the galaxy? Is that possible?" He realized that he had scrunched his eyebrows together in confusion, and quickly softened the expression.

Windu held up his hand. "Let me explain." He pulled out a small holoprojector from the folds of his robes and held it in his hand. It displayed a swirling mass of tiny dots. "Studies have found life in another galaxy, called Via Lactea by its inhabitants, or Milky Way." He pressed a button, and a hologram of a planet came up. "This is the planet Earth. Unlike our galaxy, it is the only known planet with life on it. It does not have near the technology that we have. The only humanoid species is, of course, humans. That is where you will be going."

Obi-Wan was intrigued. Mace handed him the holoprojector, and he studied it in his hands. "And no one else knows of this?"

Yoda shook his head. "Public knowledge, it is not."

"Well then who discovered it?" he inquired. It seemed the next logical question.

Mace took a deep breath before he answered. "A man by the name of Cloren Kenobi."

Obi-Wan looked up suddenly. "Am I related to him?"

"He was your father."

Now they really had his attention. Obi-Wan's head was filled with questions, but he voiced none of them. He was privileged to even be able to hear this much. He waited for them to continue.

"Your father was a prominent senatorial aide and an expert scientist here on Coruscant. Several months after your birth, your parents discovered your Force-sensitivity and brought you here to the Temple to be trained in the ways of the Jedi.

"Your parents knew that, sooner or later, you would figure out who your parents were and that it would distract you from your training. It was at that time that your father made this discovery of Earth. He came immediately to us and proposed that he and his wife would like to go there and live as pioneers. We agreed that this was a good idea. We had the best in the galaxy come and design a special spacecraft that could take them there, and back if necessary.

"When they arrived, your parents changed their name to Rider. They had a son, whom they named John, your younger brother. He lives in the country of England and works as a spy for the country's national intelligence agency. Your mission, Obi-Wan, is to go and work with him for a while. You will also change your name. It will be Ian Rider."

Obi-Wan couldn't believe his ears. This was incredible! How many Jedi got to know who their family was, let alone work with them? None, to be exact.

"You will go to Earth every few weeks, work there for a while, then come back here. In a while, you will be spending more time here and less time there, until we pull you out altogether."

"Are my parents still alive?"

"No. The died several years ago," Mace replied. "Your job is to report on the technological progress of this planet and to calculate the amount of time before they become aware of life outside of their planet. This may take a while. That is why we must have such a deep cover story for you. They are a very suspicious planet."

"Does my brother know of me?"

"Yes, he knows that he has an older brother, but he thinks that he died a long time ago." 

"Mhm. Big surprise for him, you will be," Yoda chuckled to himself.

That would definitely be the case.

"On Earth, the Force does not exist in the same way that it does in our galaxy. Those who are Force-sensitive here, will simply have quicker reflexes and be extremely well coordinated on Earth. You will not need your lightsaber, as it will definitely draw unwanted attention. Your Jedi training will come in handy, though, since it is very practical with the work you will be doing."

Obi-Wan wondered how that was possible. He had grown up being taught that the Force resided in every living thing. But then again, there were many things about this trip that he didn't understand. 

"We have a spacecraft ready for you to take," Master Windu continued. "It is a duplicate of the ship your parents took, two seats and all."

Obi-Wan thought of his padawan. Would he be taking Anakin?

Yoda seemed to read his thoughts. "Your padawan you will not take. Remain here for training, he must."

"Anakin will have plenty of lessons to keep him busy in your absence. There's no need to worry about him," Mace assured him.

"Can he know of any of this?" Obi-Wan asked.

The two council members exchanged glances. "As little as you can, tell him," Yoda answered.

"You'll be leaving tomorrow morning. I'll meet you in the hangar," Mace said with a note of finality.

Obi-Wan bowed. "I am looking forward to it," he said, trying to contain his smile.

"May the Force be with you," Mace said. Yoda grunted in agreement.

As Obi-Wan strode out, he pondered everything he had learned. He headed to the Jedi Gardens to give everything a chance to sink in. He would be able to meditate on this there.

About an hour later, Anakin came into the gardens, looking for his master.

"Master Obi-Wan!" he called, trying not to be too loud.

"I'm over here," Obi-Wan answered.

Anakin walked over to where his Master stood, gazing out over a small pool, his arms crossed in front of him, hands hidden in the opposite sleeves of his robes.

"What is it, Anakin?"

"Master Yoda told me to find you. He said you would be here."

Obi-Wan looked at his apprentice. He was wearing the traditional light-colored tunic with matching pants and brown boots. His hair had been cut short, except for a small lock in the center of the back of his head that was pulled into a tight ponytail, and one small piece behind his right ear that, when long enough, would be the symbolic braid of a Jedi padawan learner.

"Well, here I am," Obi-Wan said.

"He said you were leaving," Anakin announced somewhat sadly, refusing to make eye contact with his master.

"I am."

"Where are you going?"

Obi-Wan took a deep breath, trying to decide how to tell him. "They've sent me on a mission," he said.

"By yourself?" the boy asked dejectedly.

"Yes."

"But what about me?"

Obi-Wan knelt and looked into Anakin's innocent blue eyes that just couldn't grasp the idea that his new-found best friend was leaving him. "You'll be busy with training here. And before you know it, I'll be back, and we can spend time together. Don't worry. We Masters get sent on missions all the time. It's perfectly normal." But in truth, it was anything but normal.

Anakin stared at the ground for a moment, then lifted his eyes to meet Obi-Wan's. "Are you sure?"

Obi-Wan grinned. "Absolutely."

"I'll miss you."

"I'll miss you, too."

Anakin gave him a small smile. "May the Force be with you, Master Obi-Wan."

Obi-Wan patted him on the shoulder. "Thanks. I'll need it."

Obi-Wan walked into the hangar the next morning, ready to depart. Mace met him and fell in step as he led him to the spacecraft.

"This is called the _InterGalactic II,_ " he explained. "It reaches speeds many times the speed of light, making the trip as short as possible. The coordinates are already plugged in. It's programmed to land beside a forest. When you reach Earth, the ship must be hidden. We cannot afford for anyone to know of this. It has radar deflectors that allow it to escape detection, which you will need."

"How will I know how to find my brother?"

"Don't worry about that. He'll find you."

Mace pressed a button on the spacecraft and the cockpit hissed open. The _InterGalactic II_ was smaller than a starfighter, but much larger than a speeder. Obi-Wan climbed in. He observed all of the controls, getting a feel for them.

"Check the nav screen every few days for messages from us. You can also send messages, but they need to be as short as possible because they have to travel so far."

Mace stepped back. "It seems you are ready to go. May the Force be with you, Ian Rider," he said, reminding him of his new name.

Obi-Wan closed the cockpit. He fired up the engines. The small ship lifted off the ground, then sped off.

___________________

Obi-Wan was glad when Earth finally came into view. He was never so happy to see a planet in all his life. He had been cramped in the cockpit for hours without a way to stretch his legs. The solar system that Earth was in had several beautiful planets. He counted nine in the system. They were all different from each other in size and color. The largest one was a swirling mass of red and orange. One was surrounded by large asteroid rings. The furthest one was much smaller than the others, only about the size of a large moon. He recognized Earth as the swirling blue and white planet from the hologram he had seen. It was breathtaking. As he neared it, he could make out the oceans and the different green landmasses that were continents.

He began his descent toward one particular landmass that looked like a large island. Obi-Wan assumed that this was where England was. Soon he could make out rivers, lakes, cities, and forests, one of which he was heading straight for. A little while later he had landed in exactly the place that had been described -- next to a forest.

Obi-Wan looked at his surroundings. On one side was the forest. On the other side was a large field. Small green sprouts were just beginning to poke their tiny heads above the ground. Whatever was growing had been planted recently.

He pressed a button and the cockpit hissed open. He stood up from his cramped position and stretched. Recalling what Master Windu had said, he found some fallen branches and dragged them over to conceal the spacecraft.

After he had finished, he observed the sky. The light was fading. Nightfall must be fast approaching. Obi-Wan knew he must find shelter for the night.

He ventured into the forest a little ways and found an adequate spot and lay down to sleep. It had been a long day.


	3. Welcome to England

**Welcome to England**   
  
  


Obi-Wan woke the next morning with the sun streaming through the leaves of the trees above onto his face. He sat up and looked around at his surroundings , now that it was daylight. There were, of course, trees on all sides. He heard running water nearby, and decided to search it out.

He stood and picked up his cloak that he had wadded up and used as a pillow and shouldered it on. It did not take him long to find the stream. Obi-Wan knelt down and splashed water on his face. It felt cool and refreshing. He stood back up, wondering what he could eat to satisfy his hunger. Just as he was about to go looking, he heard a twig snap, accompanied by rustling in the leaves. Instinctively, he reached for his lightsaber -- that wasn't there. He had taken it along out of habit, but had left it in the spaceship.

A figure emerged from the trees, holding a rifle leveled at Obi-Wan. "Who are you and why are you trespassing on private property?" the man demanded.

From the second that Obi-Wan saw him, he knew exactly who the man was. It was John Rider. He had the same build, but slightly shorter. Instead of brown hair, he had sandy blond hair. Now that Obi-Wan knew who he was, the only problem would be convincing John of who he was.

"I asked you a question," he demanded again when Obi-Wan did not respond immediately.

"What is your name?" Obi-Wan queried.

"What difference does it make? You're trespassing, and that's illegal."

Obi-Wan sighed. "Look, I'm really sorry about trespassing. I didn't know. I just got here. I'm looking for a man by the name of John Rider. I think he might want to see me. Do you know where I could find him?"

The man lowered his rifle a little and took a step closer. "Who are you?"

"I am Obi-Wan Kenobi."

The man just stood there. "Obi-Wan Kenobi?"

Obi-Wan nodded. "That is my name. Does it mean anything to you?"

"I'm John Rider. Obi-Wan was my brother, but I thought...I thought he died before Mum and Dad moved to England."

"Apparently not." Obi-Wan muttered under his breath.

"Where are you from?" John asked, testing him.

"Coruscant."

"Yep. You're him," John said. "I don't believe this." He turned around, not sure how to take this. He whirled back around to face Obi-Wan. "One more thing. What was Dad's name before he moved here?"

"Cloren Kenobi," he answered without hesitation.

John scratched his head. "Being a spy, I have to believe a lot of crazy things. This is cutting it pretty close."

"I just learned of your existence the other day. I could hardly believe it, either."

John rubbed his chin. "Maybe you can answer this. Where, or rather, what is Coruscant? Dad said that's where he's from, but I've searched all over the world, and it's nowhere to be found."

"Do you promise to believe me, no matter what I say?"

John threw his hands up defensively. "I promise."

"Coruscant is a planet in a far away galaxy."

John stared at him in utter disbelief. "A planet in a far away galaxy?" he repeated. He scoffed at the idea. "And you expect me to believe that?"

Obi-Wan crossed his arms. "You promised."

"Okay. I'll give you the benefit of the doubt. Prove it."

"Alright, I will."

Obi-Wan led him to his ship. He gestured toward the _InterGalactic II_. "This is how I got here."

John was still doubtful.

The Jedi was at a loss. How to make him believe... "Do you want me to take you for a ride? I noticed a moon in the sky last night. Do you want to go there? Or how about the planet with the asteroid rings around it? We could be there in half an hour or less."

"That's Saturn."

"Well?"

John stood there for a moment. "Okay. I believe you. Welcome to England. Or should I say, Earth?" John took his brother to his home with him. On the way, Obi-Wan explained everything to his brother. He told him all about the Jedi and the Force, including the part about his name being changed to Ian Rider.

When they got back, John's wife, Helen, wasn't there. She had most likely gone grocery shopping. John went through his clothes to find 'Ian' something suitable to wear instead of his Jedi robes.

When Helen returned, John introduced Ian to her. She was delighted to meet him. "I didn't know John had a brother," she said.

"I didn't either," John muttered.

"How nice of you to drop in," Helen said with a smile.

John and Ian exchanged looks.

"So how did you find each other, then?"

"Ah, it's a long story," John said.

"Oh, I see. Well, all that matters is that you're here. Welcome to our home."

_______________________

Mrs. Jones strode into the office of Alan Blunt, head of MI6 Special Operations. She was carrying a file folder under her arm marked "Confidential."

"I have received a report from John Rider," she announced.

Mr. Blunt looked up from his desk. He raised one eyebrow. "And?"

"I sent him to investigate that property, and apparently, he found his brother."

Mr. Blunt's eyebrows arched even higher. "I don't care who it was. He was trespassing,and that's illegal."

"Ian Rider, John's brother, claims that he didn't know where he was. He said he had crash-landed his small plane right up against the forest and shortly after, John found him.

"Interesting." His flat tone suggested that he found the information to be anything but interesting.

"Another thing, John thinks that Ian should be a spy for us."

"Mrs. Jones, we do not run a charity, nor do we just accept anyone off the street. They must be proven first."

"I am well aware of that." She held up a folder. "I have here some records of some undercover work that he did for another group. It's a glowing report."

"Let me see that." He flipped through the pages. "Hmm. I"ll see what I can do."

________________________

A week later, Obi-Wan went out to his spaceship to see if he had any messages. The craft was well hidden underneath the branches and far enough away from anything to keep from being spotted. He opened the cockpit and climbed in. He pressed a few buttons and the nav screen lit up. There were no messages as of yet. Obi-Wan decided to send one of his own. "It read: 'Mission going well.' Which, in reality, it had. He enjoyed working with John. THey had just completed a mission with near-death escapes and exhilarating action. The criminals had been caught and were safely in prison.  
  
  


__________________________

The next week, he checked his screen again. This time there was a message. It read one simple word: 'Return.' He hurried back to the car where John was waiting and told him of the message, and the next morning, he was headed back to Coruscant.

Upon arriving at the Temple, Mace met him in the hangar, seemingly right where he had left him. He had enjoyed his new line of work, but he was ready to come back.

"You have done well, Ian Rider," he greeted him, using his new name.

Obi-Wan smiled to himself. He was getting used to it, slowly. "Thank you, Master. Is everything alright?"

"Yes, everything is well. I figured it was time that you spent some quality time with your padawan. He misses you."

Obi-Wan bowed. "Indeed, I shall."

"Obi-Wan," Mace called after him, "This is how it will be for some time. As I said, you will begin spending more time here and less time there, but not for a while."

Obi-Wan nodded. "I am enjoying my work."

"That is good."

And so the cycle continued. He would do a mission or two for MI6, and then come back to Coruscant for a few weeks and go on a Jedi mission to keep his skills fresh. He still found plenty of time to spend with Anakin, who was quickly advancing in his classes.

Several months later, there was a new addition to the Rider family. Alex Rider was born. John was thrilled to have a son.

"I'm sure he will grow up to be a great spy like his father," Obi-Wan had said.

John chuckled. "If he knew anything about what I do, he probably won't want to have anything to do with it."

About two weeks later, after returning from an extremely dangerous mission, John had proposed that he and Helen take a vacation.

"That would be wonderful, John, but there's only one problem. Alex is sick. We can't take him," Helen said.

John thought it over. "I'm sure Mrs. Smith, our neighbor, wouldn't mind watching him for a week. She loves him to death. And she's so good with children. I really need a vacation, though."

Helen sighed. "I'd be all right with that."

"Good. We'll leave tomorrow morning."

Obi-Wan knew the real reason for the sudden vacation. He had been working undercover for a criminal organization that was extremely dangerous. To put it simply, they wanted him bad. MI6 had sent them on a "vacation" to get out of the country for a while until things settled down.

Obi-Wan went to see them off the next morning at the small private airport. It had been arranged for them to take a private plane -- just the two of them. John was a pilot and was flying the plane. Obi-Wan watched the plane as it taxied down the runway, then rose in the air as it took off.

Then suddenly, out of nowhere, there was an explosion. It all seemed to happen in slow motion. One second he was waving goodbye, the next he was staring at a fireball that had consumed the plane. Obi-Wan stood there, numb. It took him a second to figure out what had happened. The criminal organization had figured out what had really happened. They found out that John had worked for MI6 and not them. They had planted a bomb in the plane.

Debris rained down on the runway and landed in a smoking heap, littering the ground around Obi-Wan. He had seen a lot of explosions in the past few months, but he had never known any of the people who had died. They definitely hadn't been good people.

Obi-Wan stood there for quite some time, not sure of what to do next. In the few short months he had worked with him, he had grown to love his brother dearly. He had been a great spy, better than Obi-Wan. John Rider, the only family he had known, was now gone.

Wait, no. There was Alex. What would become of him? Now, Ian was the only family Alex had. He was just a baby. And Obi-Wan was definitely not equipped to take care of a baby.

The Jedi sat in the _InterGalactic II_ , still feeling numb sudden change of events, he had to contact Mace immediately. He typed a message that said, 'John and Helen dead. Now what?' and sent it.

Alex would be fine for the time being. Obi-Wan had spoken with Mrs. Smith, and she had agreed to take care of him until everything was worked out.

The next morning his answer came in the form of one word, the same as always. Return.

____________________

Back at the Jedi Temple, Obi-Wan conferred with Mace about his dilemma.

"What will become of Alex?" he asked.

"One thing is for sure. You can't take care of him yet."

"Yet?"

Mace nodded. "When he is older, you will take care of him, but not now. See if this Mrs. Smith will watch over him until you can."

"And if she doesn't?"

"She will."


	4. Fourteen Years Later

Fourteen Years Later  
  
  


Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker strode together through the Jedi Gardens. The Coruscant sun shone brightly, making all the exotic colors of the brightly colored plants seem even more vivid.

"Beautiful day, isn't it, Master?" commented Anakin.

"Mmm. Yes, it is," Obi-Wan replied.

"I suppose you'll be leaving for Earth soon."

Mace and Yoda had finally let Obi-Wan explain all his mysterious absences to Anakin as he got older. He deserved to know. He hadn't told anyone about it. It was their secret.

"Yes," he said.

"Isn't this your last mission?"

"Yes, it is. The Jedi Council has decided that your training as a Knight is of prime importance now. You have done exceptionally well, but it is time that I be with you all the time now."

"What will happen to your nephew after you leave?"

"After he learn's of Ian's death, MI6 will approach him about becoming a spy."

"Will he accept?"

"Yes, he will." Obi-Wan was thoughtful.

"But he doesn't know anything about your work."

"True," Obi-Wan mused. "He thinks I'm just a bank employee that has a lot of overseas meetings. I'm surprised Jack, the housekeeper I hired, has put up with me for nine years. But I have been training Alex, though he's not aware of it. He is trained in karate, self-defense, and is fluent in several languages. He could do it."

"Do you think you'll ever see him again?" Anakin asked. He remembered his mother still on Tatooine. He hadn't seen her since that day he had met Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan at Watto's shop.

"I'm not sure." Obi-Wan crossed his arms and turned to Anakin. He hadn't really thought about it. "I'm not even sure why I was sent on these missions in the first place, why I was even allowed to know my brother and work with him. But, the Force has a will, and this was meant to happen. I'm sure someday I will know."

"I'm sure you will miss him."

"Yes."

The next morning, Obi-Wan headed for Earth for the last time, only this time he was carrying a passenger. Well, not exactly a passenger. It was a synthetic replica of himself. Obi-Wan was surprised at the likeness. It was supposed to be his body after he was "killed" so they would have something to prove he was actually dead. Modern technology never ceased to amaze him. Anything could be duplicated.

Soon after arriving, he reported to MI6 headquarters. They sent him on his final mission. They knew nothing of what was going to happen. For all they knew, any spy could be killed at any time by anything or anyone.

Several days later, while driving home from that mission to report something very important, he decided to give Alex a call. His specifically modified BMW sports car was equipped with a built-in phone so he could talk while driving. 

"Hey, Alex."

"Hey."

"I'm on my way."

"Good."

"Look, Alex. I'm really sorry about last week." He and Alex had been planning to take a special camping trip. "This trip just came out of nowhere."

"As always." He sounded disappointed.

"Look, I'll be home in time for supper, whatever it is that Jack's cooked up, and then we can have the whole weekend."

Obi-Wan hated letting Alex down like that. He had every right to be disappointed.

"Cool." He sounded a little brighter.

"Oh, come on, Alex. Now when have I ever let you down?"

"Do you really want me to answer that?"

Obi-Wan chuckled.

"I'm glad you called."

"Yeah," Obi-Wan said. "Me too."

Alex hung up his phone. Good. His uncle was on the way home. Maybe they really would take that camping trip after all.

As Obi-Wan thought of the time he would spend with Alex, the screen flashed. There was a message, but it wasn't from MI6. It was from Coruscant. Obi-Wan viewed its contents. It was time to go. There were explicit instructions as to how everything would happen.

There was supposed to be a wreck that made it look like that the bad guys had caught up with him and taken care of business. Which, they had been chasing him anyway. Obi-Wan sighed. Alex would be heartbroken.

"Goodbye, Alex," he breathed.

As he rounded the bend, he stopped the car and got out. He opened the trunk and pulled out the duplicate and stuck it in the front seat. He took out a handgun and shot the car several times, piercing it and the dummy with bullet holes. Then he took out a remote control. He pressed a button. The car started forward. He let it build up speed. He quickly pressed the right button. The car skidded across the road and headed straight for the ditch. The impact was tremendous. Sparks and glass flew everywhere. It was a perfect wreck. He ran to the car and checked the dummy. Red liquid that looked a whole lot like blood oozed from its head. this could fool anyone, even MI6, And the funny thing was, if they tested it, the DNA would match that of Ian Rider. It was all too real.

Obi-Wan placed the remote on the ground and pressed the "self-destruct" button and stepped back. The remote burst into flames and was quickly reduced to a pile of ashes that were soon swept away in the breeze.

It was a good thing this was a deserted road. He quickly ran up the hill and into the trees to find his spaceship. Funny thing, this was the same forest that he had landed in originally. The _InterGalactic II_ was waiting for him at the edge of the forest.

When he reached it, he jumped into the cockpit, readied it for launch, and took off. It would only be a matter of time until the bad guys came along. Of course they would claim his death for themselves. Within minutes he had left Earth's atmosphere. He watched it disappear from view as he made the jump to hyperspace. Obi-Wan thought of all the memories it held. He thought of his nephew. Would he ever see him again? Poor Alex. Living in the life of a spy at such a young age. But he could do it. He was ready.

Obi-Wan turned his thoughts to his padawan. Exciting days were ahead of him. Soon Anakin would be ready to become a Jedi Knight. He had done well in his training. The boy was truly gifted. Amidst all of his travels to Earth, the two had spent just as much time together as any other master-apprentice team. Yes, Obi-Wan thought, soon the Chosen One would be ready.


	5. Jedi Training

**Jedi Training**   
  
  


Now Obi-Wan sat in his stone house remembering that mission and what had happened since then.

"Yes, Master, I remember," he said to Qui-Gon, who sat across from him in his bluish presence. "But what does that have to do with my training?"

"Quite a bit, actually," Qui-Gon replied. "You are to train your nephew, Alex Rider, as a Jedi."

Obi-Wan sat back, taking it all in. His nephew, a Jedi. And he would be the one to train him! But how? He was in exile, and the Jedi had been hunted and killed. Only a few of them remained. "But, Master, with all due respect, how is that possible?" he asked. "I have no way to get to Earth. I'll never be able to leave with all the Imperial Intelligence. And besides, how could I get him to agree to come with me. He thinks I'm dead."

Qui-Gon sat patiently. "So you don't want to do it?"

Obi-Wan leaned forward. "Yes, Master, I want to do it. I just don't see how it's possible."

"Ah, but that is where you are wrong. There are a lot of things you can't see. The very thing that makes a Jedi who he is, the Force, can you see that?"

Obi-Wan felt like he was a padawan again. "You're right, Master. So how will I get there?"

"That's more like it," Qui-Gon said. "Go into town. There is a spacecraft dealer there."  
Obi-Wan nodded. "I know the place."

"You'll find what you need."

"Yes, Master. How will I get past the Imperials?"

"See Zandor about that. And as for Alex, he'll go with you."

"Thank you, Master," Obi-Wan said.

Qui-Gon smiled. "May the Force be with you, my friend."

"One more thing, Master. How do you know Alex is Force-sensitive?"

Qui-Gon smiled once again. "How do you explain his life as a spy?" Then his presence faded away as quickly as it had appeared.

That left Obi-Wan with a lot of questions.

______________________________

Obi-Wan hurried into town to find the spaceship dealer. It did not take him long to get there. He went inside and spoke to the man working the desk.

"What can I do for you?" he asked in a gravelly voice.

"I'm looking for a spaceship."

"What kind of spaceship?"

"I'm not sure," Obi-Wan answered.

The man gave him a strange look. "Well, I can take you out back to see what I have in stock. Come with me."

the man headed through the back door. The lot was huge. There were all kinds of air vehicles, ranging from one-passenger speeders to large cruisers. He even thought he recognized some Jedi starfighters. It was not surprised to find them here.

"Go ahead and look around. I'll be inside. Come get me when you find what you want." And with that he scurried inside.

Obi-Wan meandered through the rows of the larger spaceships.

 _Okay, Master. Which one?_ he thought.

There was every kind of spacecraft imaginable, large to small, old to new. After several fruitless minutes, he was about to give up when he saw it. It must have been the way the sun glinted off the cockpit that caught his attention. He walked over to it. He could not believe his eyes.

He ran his hand over the name: _InterGalactic II._ This was incredible. Could it really be the same one?He circled it several times in amazement. Yes, he had found what he wanted. He hurried inside to strike a deal.

Zandor was much more than a merchandise dealer: he was a technology genius. He had found was to get past all kinds of security checkpoints. And he loved doing it, too. He hated the Empire and what it had done to him. So, he found a way to get around them. He always left them guessing. He had been a friend to any resistance fighter, originally basing out of Alderaan, by had to leave his home and fled to Tatooine Few knew of his existence, but those that did come to him for help.

Obi-Wan had met Zandor previously and he had told him to see him if he ever needed help. Which was what Obi-Wan was doing now. He walked into his store and pretended to be looking at some clothes. An employee spotted him and came over to him.

"Can I help you find anything, sir?" she asked.

"Yes, you could, actually. I'm looking for Zandor. Could you take me to him?"

She shook her head. "No, he's busy right now."

Obi-Wan looked at her intensely. "He's not busy right now. You will take me to him," he said, hoping the Jedi mind trick would work. It had been so long since he had done this.

"He's not busy right now. I will take you to him," she said.

Obi-Wan let out a breath he hadn't known he was holding. It worked. He still had his touch.

She led the way to the back of the store to Zandor's private office and rapped on the door.

"Who is it?" came a muffled voice from inside

"It's me. There's someone here to see you."

"Let him in."

She opened the door and Obi-Wan stepped inside, shutting the door behind him.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't ol' Ben Kenobi," Zandor said, obviously pleased. "How nice to see you."  
He gestured to a chair. "Have a seat."

Obi-Wan sat down. He looked around the office. It was well kept, obviously the office of a merchandise dealer. Even to Jedi there was no sign at all of his undercover work.

"Well, what can I do for you?" he asked.

"I need some help," he asked.

Zandor smiled knowingly. "Let me guess. You wan to get some slimy Imperial into trouble because he won't do what you want?"

"Not quite," Obi-Wan chuckled. "I have to take a mission off-planet. I just bought a used spaceship and I can't afford to get clearance on it. I also can't afford for them to find out about me, either."

"I'm guessing that 'afford' has nothing to do with money," he said with a smile.

"Absolutely."

Zandor's smile widened. "I can help you with that. I just love getting back at those Imperial scumbags for what they did to my friends and me. It pleases me to no end to befuddle their systems and leave them in confusion."

He turned to his datapad and pressed a few buttons. "Now, when will you be leaving?"

Obi-Wan thought. "Tomorrow morning. Before daylight."

He punched in a few more buttons. "And the name of your craft."

" _InterGalactic II_."

He pecked at the keys for several seconds. Soon a wide smile spread across his face. "Yes, I've done it again. All right, I got you fake clearance to leave at six o'clock tomorrow morning. But make it snappy. You only have fine minutes to be out of the atmosphere before they figure something's up."

Obi-Wan nodded. "I can't thank you enough."

"The pleasure is all mine," Zandor said with a smile. "Trust me; I got you the highest security clearance. Nobody will question you. And when you come back, your spaceship will trigger a response from my datapad, and you'll be clear. Everything will go as smooth as grease. Nobody will suspect a thing."


	6. Alex Rider...Jedi?

Alex Rider...Jedi?  
  
  


Alex Rider awoke with a start. He looked over at his alarm clock. Three thirty-nine a.m. What had awoken him? Then it all came rushing back. He had been having a dream. But it wasn't like any ordinary dream. It was so real. Normally, he would have dismissed it. But he had the same dream the night before. He replayed it in his head.

_Alex was standing in his backyard. It was the middle of the night. He saw a moving light in the distance. At first it appeared to be an airplane, but the night came closer and closer. Alex stood frozen to the spot, unable to move. He shielded his eyes from the blinding light that was getting brighter. In a few moments, whatever it was had landed in front of him._

_The lights shut off. He opened his eyes It looked like some sort of spaceship. Alex watched as the cockpit slowly hissed open. A robed figure climbed out._

_"Alex."_

_Alex could not believe his ears. Could it be? Could it be?_

_"Ian?" he asked, perplexed._

_"Come with me, Alex. Come with me," he said._

"Come with me," Alex repeated softly to himself. Come with him where. Ian Rider was dead. He had died over three years ago. The dream had seemed so real. He shut his eyes. He could still remember every detail clearly. He remembered the spaceship had two seats in it. The other for him?

Alex turned and lay on his side, trying to shake the dream. It was just a dream, he told himself. Just a dream.

The next night, he woke again. No, it could be. Not that crazy dream again. How could he have the same dream three nights in a row? He quietly got out of bed and slipped a t-shirt and sweatpants on. He was going for a walk outside to try and shake his dream;

He tiptoed downstairs and out the back door and onto the porch. He steeped onto the grass and looked out across the field behind their house. This was ridiculous. Dreams never had this effect on him.

Alex looked up at the sky. It was a clear night. He gazed at the stars. His attention was averted to one particular star that appeared to be moving. It was probably just an airplane. But as he watched it, it came closer and closer. Alex pinched himself. No, this couldn't be happening. There's no way. It was only his imagination.

Alex stood frozen to his spot. He couldn't bring himself to move. What was once a small sound of an airplane engine off in the distance became a loud roar. He shielded his eyes from the blinding light from the headlights. Within seconds it had landed about a hundred feet in front of him. Alex held his breath, hardly daring to believe what has happening.

The engine and the lights switched off. All was quiet and dark again. Alex slowly opened his eyes, halfway expecting himself to have imagined the whole thing. He looked. It was a spaceship. It was about the size of a small plane, only shorter to the ground and of a completely different shape. What kind of alien could be inside?

After what seemed like an eternity, the cockpit hissed open. A figure climbed out. Alex let out his breath a little bit. At least it wasn't an alien. It was a man. Alex could make out his features in the moonlight.

"Alex," the man said.

The two stood facing each other. Alex's mind told him who it was, but still wasn't sure if he could believe it yet.

"Ian," he said when he found his voice. He had never called him "uncle." Ian hated that word.

"Yes, it's me."

"You're dead."

"To you, maybe."

Alex was puzzled. "I don't understand." And clearly he didn't. Here he was, in the middle of the night, talking to his uncle who was dead, but really wasn't who had just dropped out of the sky in a spaceship.

"I can see that," he said. "You see, Ian Rider is dead. I am not."

"Who are you?"

Obi-Wan took a few steps toward him into the orange glow of the porch light. "I," he began, "Am Obi-Wan Kenobi."

Alex had heard the name before. He remembered seeing it on a piece of paper several years ago. It had been a letter addressed to an Obi-Wan Kenobi. When Alex had asked his uncle who it was, he shrugged off the question, saying it was a client. Alex had thought that was a pretty weird name for a client. Ian had explained that it was a foreign client, so, therefore, he had a foreign name. Alex had quickly forgotten about the incident, but remembered it now.

"That's the name I saw on the paper I saw several years ago that you said was a foreign client," Alex said slowly.

Obi-Wan nodded.

Alex looked up at him in utter disbelief. "I don't believe this. You drop out of the sky in a spaceship, tell me your name is Obi-Wan Kenobi. What do you want from me?"

Obi-Wan had known that this would be difficult. He prepared himself. "Why don't you let me explain. He gestured to a picnic table right next to Alex. They sat. He told Alex everything about the Jedi, Coruscant, Anakin, the rise of the Empire, and all that had transpired over the last seventeen years.

Alex shook his head in disbelief. "This sounds like something you would hear in a fairy tale. Fake stuff. Not real stuff."

"Well, I am not fake. I am real."

Now Alex understood why he had had the dream. He never would have believed this, anyway. "You mean to tell me that I wasted a year of my life being a spy," he spat out the word with clear disgust, "All because we thought you were dead?"

"Alex, that time wasn't wasted. Think of all the lives you saved. If you hadn't gone off on those missions, you would have been killed by the Stormbreaker computer first off."

"Yeah, well fourteen year-olds aren't supposed to save the world," he said. "But if you would have stuck around, maybe you could have saved me. that was your mission, remember?"

"I know. But it was my time to go, and I had to go."

"Look, Alex, I didn't want to leave you, but my work as a Jedi was becoming much more important so that I couldn't stay anymore. Anakin was close to becoming a Knight."

"Yeah, but he died."

Alex thought he saw a look of sadness pass over his face, but instantly it disappeared. Obi-Wan looked away. The first light of dawn was just peeking over the horizon. He must hurry. "You don't know the whole story about him."

"What do you want from me? Why did you come back to tell me all this?"

Obi-Wan looked back at him. "I want you to come back with me. Back to my galaxy. I am to train you as a Jedi."

"Me? A Jedi? Why?"

"I don't know. I just know that you are to become a Jedi and I am to train you. Come with me, Alex. Come with me."

There it was: the final part of his dream. Alex thought for a moment. "Give me a week. I need to think about all this," he finally said.

Obi-Wan nodded. "Good." He rose to leave and went to his spaceship. "I will see you in a week, then." He jumped into the cockpit. "Goodbye, Alex. It was so good to see you again." He shut the cockpit and launched the spacecraft. Just as quickly as he had appeared, he was gone.

Alex stood outside for a good while thinking about everything he had heard. Would he go with him? There would be no coming back. What about the Pleasures? What about Sabina? they had been so kind to him. But a chance to be with his uncle again...and he actually knew who he really was now. When Alex had known him before, he hadn't been living the double life of a bank employee who was really a spy. He had really been living a triple life of a Jedi who was a spy pretending to be a bank employee. He must be one talented guy. He would go to a place where going from planet to planet was like going from city to city. He had left Earth once before, but he had been far from visiting another planet. So much for modern technology. The people of his uncle's galaxy were far more advance than the people of Earth ever thought about being. Yes, this would definitely take some thinking.

Alex got up from the picnic table and went inside. It was daylight now, with the sun streaming in through the window. Of course, he couldn't tell anyone about this. No one would believe him, anyway.

Alex couldn't understand it. So his uncle had died, but not really. Only Ian Rider's identity had died. He remembered when he had received news of his uncle's death in the middle of the night. They were supposed to have gone camping that weekend. How could he have just ditched him like that? Didn't his uncle know how much he had been looking forward to that trip? That weekend had completely changed his life. First, he was told that his uncle hadn't been wearing a seat belt, Then he found out that he had been shot. Now, he hears from the man himself tat it had all been a setup. Alex was glad he had a week to sort it all out. He would need that long.

_________________________

One week later, Alex me Obi-Wan outside early in the morning again. He hadn't made up his mind yet. He needed to know more.

"Good to see you again, Alex," Obi-Wan greeted him.

"Yeah."

"What's the verdict?"

"I need to know more," he answered. "Why are you going to train me as a Jedi?" From it sounds like, the Jedi are almost extinct. What good would I do?"

"That's exactly why. Most of the Jedi were killed. No more are being trained. Very few are aware of my existence. When a rebellion takes place to destroy the Empire, someone has to be trained in the ways of the Force and teach others to be Jedi."

"How soon will this rebellion be?"

"I don't know. The Empire must run its course. But it's bound to happen. And when it does, we must be ready." Obi-Wan had never told Alex about Luke Skywalker. But it sounded good. The truth was, Obi-Wan didn't know why Alex must become a Jedi. But he was sure there was a reason.

"But why me? Why not somebody from your own galaxy?"

"For several reasons. As I said, very few know of my existence. I cannot risk revealing myself to others just to train them as a Jedi. My life is in danger. You know me, obviously, and you have no identity there. They couldn't track you down even if they wanted to, so you are safe from them. You were an excellent spy, so training you as a Jedi would be no problem. You have what it takes."

Alex looked away. "I don't know. I just don't know."

"You want to be with me, but you don't want to hurt the Pleasures, is that it?" Obi-Wan sighed.

Alex nodded. "They've done so much for me since...since Jack was killed. I miss her a lot." His eyes filled with tears, but he quickly blinked them back.

Obi-Wan felt for him. He walked over to him and put his arm around him, the first physical contact they'd had. "I know you do. I was sorry to hear about it. But, Alex, you must do what you believe is right. It's your decision."

"Well, I couldn't just up and leave them without an explanation."

Obi-Wan smiled. "I'm sure I could arrange something."

Alex looked at him with disgust. "Like what? Another car accident with bullet holes? I can't believe you did that to me. We were supposed to spend the weekend together. But no, you had to get yourself killed when you actually deserted me for some distant galaxy for who-knows-what."

"Alex," Obi-Wan said patiently, "I hated doing that. It wasn't until after I called you that I received the order to leave. I was looking forward to that weekend, too. But, Alex, I'm back. You can spend the rest of your life with me now and I promise I'll never leave you like that again."

The teenager sighed. "I know." He thought of how much he had really missed his uncle. If he had had the choice several months ago, before he had moved to America, he would have taken it in a heartbeat. But now he had the Pleasures to figure in.

Alex made up his mind. "I'll go," he finally said. earth didn't really have much for him, anyway. Maybe he could come back someday. "But could I finish the school year first? I'd like to have at least one normal year of school."

Obi-Wan chuckled. "I guess that's possible."

_______________________________

Back in his room, Alex pulled out the device his uncle had given him. He had said it was a comlink. Alex could reach him anytime by pressing a button on it. When Obi-Wan answered, a tiny hologram of him would pop up and they could converse.

Obi-Wan said that he would contact Alex with instructions for departure. He would be coming for him in three weeks.


	7. Ice Cream and Train Wrecks

**Ice Cream and Train Wrecks**   
  
  


Alex and Sabina walked home from school. There was only one more day left, and Alex's mind was a million miles away, wondering when his uncle would contact him. Tomorrow would be three weeks since his last visit.

"Alex, are you okay?" Sabina queried.

"Huh? Oh, yeah. I'm okay." He forced his mind back to the present. "Why?"

"Well, lately you've seemed kind of distant and preoccupied."

"Oh." Alex's eyes dropped to his shoe. He hated knowing that he was going to be leaving soon and that he couldn't tell her.

"Is something bothering you?"

Alex wondered what to say. He was glad she cared, but he couldn't tell her what was really happening. "I guess...I'm just worried about the tests tomorrow," he stammered.

"Really, It's not like you to be worried about things like tests."

He shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe it's just..." his voice trailed off. "I just don't want to fail." Alex that is really lame, he told himself.

Sabina laughed. "Oh, Alex, you won't fail."

Alex shrugged again. He longed to tell her, but he knew he couldn't, he shouldn't. She most likely wouldn't believe him, anyway. She would probably think that his life as a spy had caught up to him and he was going crazy. Best not to tell her, he concluded.

_________________________________

The next evening, after the school bells had rung for the last time that year and all the students had run home, finally free for the summer, Alex and Sabina sat in the living room watching TV.

"You know what sounds good right now?" she commented.

"What?"

"Ice cream."

"Mmmm." Alex thought of ice cream, and instantly got happier. "I take it you want me to ask if I can take the car to Dairy Queen and bring back a couple blizzards?"

"Precisely. It will be perfect to celebrate the last day of school by bringing in a taste of summer."

"Okay," he said, jumping up from the couch. "I'll ask your dad for the keys." Alex jogged up the stairs to Edward Pleasure's office. He knocked softly, then entered. Inside, he was Mr. Pleasure busily typing on his laptop.

Edward looked up. "Hey, Alex. What's up?"

"Could I take the car and get ice cream since it's the last day of school?"

"Sure." He fished in his pocked and pulled out the car keys, then tossed them to Alex.

He caught them in midair. "Thanks." Alex was happy when he had finally gotten his driver's license several months ago. Although he didn't have a car, he often got to drive the SUV on errands for them. He enjoyed driving.

He carefully parked the car in the Dairy Queen parking lot and shut off the ignition. Suddenly, he felt something vibrating in his pocket. He knew what it was. Alex pulled out the comlink and pressed the button. Instantly, a hologram of Obi-Wan appeared.

"Alex," he said. "It's time."

Alex sighed and nodded. "What's the plan?"

"I've already been to Earth and set everything up."

"Are you here now?"

"Yes. I'm waiting outside the city. You are to take the car and drive home with it."

Alex wondered how he knew that he was driving. "Have you been tracking me?" Alex interrupted.

"Yes. Your comlink has a built-in tracking device. I can also tell if you are walking, driving, or standing still. That's how I knew when to call you when you were stopped. Wouldn't want you driving and talking."

"Guess that makes sense."

"You know the railroad crossing a half-mile from your house?"

"Yes."

Obi-Wan proceeded to give Alex precise instructions and then signed off.

Alex sighed for the umpteenth time. Now he knew how his uncle had felt. He hated to have to do this, but he must. He restarted the ignition and left Dairy Queen. Sorry, Sabina. No ice cream to celebrate. He knew she would blame herself for this.

Alex came up on the tracks. Everything was just as he had said it would be. He pulled the car over and got out. It was getting dark outside. He was glad for the cover of twilight.

He walked over to the bushes on the other side of the ditch. Yes, it was all there. Alex dragged a very realistic-looking replica of himself out from under the bushes. Alex felt as if he was looking into the face of Julius Grief, the clone that had been made to look like him. Alex looked away. He hated those memories. Putting the dummy in the car, he shut the door. He went back to the back and found the remote for the car.

A train sounded in the distance. It was coming Alex's way. It was now or never. With remote in hand, he lay on his stomach so as not to be seen.

He watched the oncoming train, a knot in his stomach. He knew no one would be hurt, but it hurt him to think that he was doing this. Still, he really wanted to be with his uncle.

The train was almost to the crossing. Alex set the car in motion.

Closer...closer...

He accelerated the car. He had timed it perfectly. Just as the car was crossing the tracks, the train rammed into the car and crushed it to pieces with a tremendous sound of smashing metal and flying sparks Alex didn't know why Obi-Wan had bothered with a replica: no one would be able to find a body in this mess.

There was no turning back now.

Alex got up and ran into there woods while there was no one on the scene. He heard the train screeching to a halt. Within minutes, police and firemen would be there.

When Alex was a safe distance away, he stopped running and caught his breath. His heart was beating wildly.

After a minute, his breathing was under control and he pulled out his comlink. Pressing the small button on the side, he signaled Obi-Wan. Within seconds, an image was in Alex's hand.

"It's all done," he said.

"Good," Obi-Wan replied. "Wait there. I'll be there in three hours. I have to make sure the coast is clear.

Alex signed off and turned off the comlink. He sat down. Looking around, he realized he was in the woods right behind the Pleasures' house.

__________________________________

Sabin sat on the couch watching TV. She glanced at the clock. Alex had been gone for quite a while. Where was he? There must have been a long line.

Ten more minutes passed and Alex had still not come back. She began to worry. Sabina shut off the TV and went to her dad's study.

"Dad," she said, "Alex isn't home yet, and he's been gone for nearly and hour and a half. I'm beginning to worry that something's wrong."

Edward looked at his watch with a concerned look on his face. "So it has. Let's take the other car and see if we can find him."

Sabin ran to get her shoes. She had an awful feeling in the pit of her stomach.

"Where are you going, dear?" her mother asked.

"Mum, Alex went to go get ice cream over an hour and a half ago, and he's still not back. Dad and I are going to look for him."

A worried look passed over her face. "Don't worry, honey. If anyone can take care of himself, Alex can," she reassured her daughter.

Sabina and Edward pulled out of the driveway.

"First, we'll go to Dairy Queen and see if he's till there," he said.

"Okay, she said quietly"

Soon, they could see the flashing red and blue lights of emergency vehicles in the distance.

"It looks like there's been an accident," Edward mused. "Judging from the amount of flashing lights it must be a bad one. Alex is probably caught in the traffic."

Sabina still looked worried. "I hope so."

They came upon a horrifying scene. Police cars, fire trucks, and ambulances were already at the railroad crossing. There were bits of a car scattered all over the area. They couldn't even tell what color the car had been.

They parked the car as close as they could get. They got out and began to approach one of the police officers.

"What's going on?" Edward asked.

"There's been an accident. A car was hit by the train," the officer replied solemnly.

"Do you know who it was?" he asked.

"We don't know yet," he said. "But we did find a license plate in this mess."

"What's the number?"

The policeman read off the number.

Sabina's heart fell to the bottom of her stomach. "No! No!" she cried. "Not Alex! It can't be! Alex, no!" Her world was in slow motion around her. He was her closest friend. And it was all her fault! If only she hadn't asked him to get ice cream. She fell to her knees, sobbing.


	8. Super Spy

Super Spy

Alex was laying down now, staring up at the stars peeking thought the trees. He was going to live with his uncle...in a different galaxy. At least that brightened things. He hated doing what he did to the Pleasures, but it was the only way. His dad had done the same kind of thing; pretending to die so others could be safe. Like father, like son, Alex thought.

As he lay on the ground and thought, he suddenly knew what he had to do. He stood up stiffly and stretched. The ground was not the most comfortable place to lay. He checked his watch. He still had almost two hours. He started through the trees. Soon, the Pleasures' house was in view.

Sabina sat in her room, staring out at the woods. It was dark now, and she couldn't see very far. But she was lost in her thoughts anyway. She couldn't stop thinking about Alex. Finally, she got up. Maybe she just needed some air. She headed out to sit alone in the dark of the night.4

She went outside to the picnic table and sat down. Putting her chin in her hands, she let out a long sigh. She stared at the trees and thought about Alex and all the times they had spent together. He was like a brother to her. She couldn't remember what life was like before they had met. Now she couldn't image life without him.

Suddenly, she heard a nose, like the rustling of a deer as it walked through the trees. She quietly stood up and walked to the edge of the woods. She had always wanted to sneak up on a deer. Silently, she took a few steps into the woods.

It was darker in the woods than it had been in the open. She couldn't see anything and was about to give up when something grabbed her. A hand covered her mouth just as she was about to scream.

"Shh!" her captor shushed her. "It's just me." He released his grip on her.

Sabina whirled around. Her eyes grew wide and a look of shock and disbelief came to her face.

"Alex!" She threw her arms around his neck, happy tears streaming down her cheeks.

He put a finger to his lips. "Yes, it's me."

"But what happened? I saw the wreck. Are you all right?"

"It's a long story, really."

"Well, come inside. My parents will be so happy. You can tell us everything."

"Sabina," Alex began. "I can't. No one can know I'm alive."

"Why?"

"Several weeks ago, I received a message from my uncle..."

Sabina interrupted, "I thought your uncle was dead." Her eyebrows scrunched up in confusion.

Alex shook his head. "He's not. That's also a long story."

"But the car accident..."

"Listen. It's all part of the plan. He set it up so it looked like he died. His identity is erased. He is legally dead."

"Did you know about this?"

"Not until a few weeks ago. You see, he was a spy for MI6, but now, he is...a super spy, you could say. He's joined the most top-secret spy agency in the world, and in order to do that, he had t be legally dead so no one could trace him." He didn't like making it up, but it was the only way.

"Oh," she said, her features falling in disappointment, "let me guess. He wants you to join this agency, too?"

Alex nodded.

"Alex, you can't!"

"I have to. It's too late to turn back now. I'm leaving in a little under an hour to join him."

"I thought you hated being a spy. What are you thinking?"

"Sabina, this is different. I thought my uncle was dead. But he's not, and this is my chance to go and work with him. It means everything to me. Without it, he would have never given me this opportunity."

Without warning, she threw her arms around him. "I can't tell you how relieved I am that you're not dead. I would never have forgiven myself for asking you to get ice cream"

"It's all right. It actually worked out perfectly. But you must promise me something."

"What?"

"You can't tell anyone about any of this, or you could endanger my life, and the lives of the people in this agency."

"Not even Mum and Dad?"

Alex shook his head. "No."

Sabina nodded. "I can keep secrets."

"Sabina," he said. "Thanks. I could never thank you enough. This means a lot to me." He smiled.

"Will I ever see you again?"

Alex sighed. "I honestly don't know. I really don't know."

"You're like my brother, Alex. I'm going to miss you...a lot."

He sighed again. "I know. But I must go. It's for the good."

Sabina nodded. "Bye, Alex. I'll never forget you."

"Goodbye, Sabina. I have to go now. I hope I'll see you again."

She watched him walk away from her, through patches of moonlight that filtered through the trees. She could keep his secret for him. No one would ever know. She was glad that he trusted her enough to come back. She would never have forgiven herself.

She took a deep breath and headed back towards the house. She had a funeral to get ready for.

________________________________________

Alex ran back to the place where he was to meet his uncle. He reached under the log where he had hidden his comlink. He hadn't taken it with him, just in case his uncle would trace him back to the Pleasure's house. His uncle couldn't know that he had revealed himself to Sabina. It would only complicate things.

He sat down and waited. It was only a few minutes until Obi-Wan was due to arrive. He refused to let his mind wonder if this was the right thing to do. It was too late for that. He wanted to be with his uncle. Since the day of Ian's funeral, he had wanted more than anything to be with him, to really get to know him. He had thought he had known him, but he had only known what Ian wanted him to know about himself. And even after he had learned about MI6, he still didn't know the real person his uncle was. He wasn't Ian Rider at all: he was Obi-Wan Kenobi -- a Jedi. A real, live Jedi. And soon, Alex would be one, too.

There was no turning back now. He thought of all the things he and his uncle would do...together, and never be interrupted by any ridiculous spy work.

Obi-Wan arrived right on time. The spaceship hissed and then landed right in front of Alex in a small clearing. Alex marveled at how good a pilot his uncle was.

The cockpit hissed open, beckoning Alex.

Well, this is it, he thought. He hopped in the cockpit, next to his uncle. Here we go.

The cockpit closed and they took off. Alex had been in outer space before as part of a mission with MI6, but only for a short time. Now, he was watching Earth disappear behind him, this time for good. And he was sure he wouldn't be returning.


	9. Lightspeed

**Lightspeed**   
  
  


When Earth had completely disappeared from view, he turned around and looked out the front. The view from the stars was breathtaking. There were millions of twinkling lights all around. He felt that he could reach out and touch them. He had never seen so many stars before.

Obi-Wan saw the look of wonder on Alex's face. "Beautiful, isn't it?"

Alex nodded, still taking in the wonder.

"I'm still amazed at the beauty of the universe every time I travel." Obi-Wan remembered the first time he had traveled in space as a young boy. He had been taken with the view.

Just then the nave screen flashed a message. Obi-Wan tapped on the screen. "It's time to make the jump to hyperspace," he announced.

"What's that?"

"It's a speed faster than lightspeed. It's how I get around so fast."

Obi-Wan pressed several buttons on the dashboard. In an instant all the stars became blurred lines as they increased speed. Alex marveled. Nothing on Earth went this fast.

Alex enjoyed the ride with his uncle. He couldn't remember when they spent so much time together. The talked about all kinds of things, each telling about his experiences as a spy and Obi-Wan telling about his Jedi life. Alex was excited about being a Jedi. He could tell he wouldn't regret his decision to come along.

A good while later, they landed in what looked like the Sahara Desert. When the cockpit opened, it felt like the Sahara Desert. Alex had never been overly fond of sand, but he didn't mind.

"Where are we?" he asked.

"We," said Obi-Wan as he began to climb out of the engines, "Have just landed on the planet of Tatooine. It is a remote desert planet in the Outer Rim of the galaxy, and the planet of my exile. We are far away from anything, which means we are safe from the Empire."

Alex looked across the flat, sandy landscape. It was definitely a desert. He could have sworn he was in the Sahara, had it not been for one thing: there were two suns instead of one. That was something he'd have to get used to.

"Welcome to Tatooine,"his uncle said. "The entire planet looks like this, all one big sandy desert, Once you've seen one town, you've seen them all."

Alex looked around. They were in the middle of absolutely nowhere. "So, where do you live?"

Obi-Wan pointed to a large sand dune. "Just over there."

They set off for his house. It took a good deal of work to climb the sand dune, but they were both agile and moved quickly. Once on the top, they could see the stone hut Obi-Wan lived in.

"What about the spaceship? Are you just going to leave it there?" Alex asked. "Won't someone steal it?"

Obi-Wan turned to look behind him. "I'm going to trade it for a land speeder. It will be fine for now."

They reached the house and went inside. Alex felt like he was back in the Stone Age. First, he had been in the fastest spacecraft ever built; now he was in a stone house. What a drastic change. There were few furnishings, just enough for one or two people. It was quite spacious, though.

"Did you build this?" he asked.

"No," Obi-Wan answered. "It was here when I came. I was looking in Mos Espa, the nearby town, for a house, and I was directed here. It's completely concealed be the dunes."

Obi-Wan pulled out a chair at the table and sat down. Alex did likewise.

"I am very happy to have you here, Alex. It will be exciting to train you."

"I'm glad to be with you. It's all I've wanted since you...left."

Obi-Wan smiled. He felt the same.

"So," Alex said, "What exactly is involved in training me as a Jedi?"

"Well," he began, "First, you have to look like a Jedi. Those clothes will never do," he said, looking at Alex's jeans and t-shirt.

Obi-Wan rose from the table and disappeared into the other room. A minute later he returned with a pile of neatly folded black material and set it on the table.

"This belonged to my former apprentice, Anakin Skywalker, when he was your age."

Alex detected sadness in his voice. "What happened to him?"

The question seemed to have startled him, but the look passed. "He was killed, at the rise of the Empire, by a Sith Lord, Darth Vader. He was employed by the Emperor to destroy and kill all Jedi. He betrayed and murdered Anakin."

"What's a Sith and who is Darth Vader?"

"A Sith is like Jedi, but they use the dark side of the Force as the source of their power. They are very evil. And Darth Vader is the Emperor's second-in-command, clad in a suit of black. He is extremely powerful and wicked. He is a fallen Jedi.

"Did you know him?"

Obi-Wan nodded gravely. "I did," he said sadly.

Several minutes later, Alex stood in front of the mirror, looking at his new attire. He looked the same as Obi-Wan; only he was dressed in black, not tan. Alex looked closely. Something was missing.   
"Don't Jedi carry any weapons?"

His uncle smiled. "Yes, they're called lightsabers. I'll give you one when you're ready."

"Now what?"

"We are going to have dinner and a good night's rest. Tomorrow we will begin your training in the ways of the Force."

__________________________________

That night, as Alex lay in bed, he thought about the events of the day. It had been a long day. He hated saying goodbye to Sabina. He sighed. He would have to leave her in the past. He had enjoyed the long flight with his uncle, really getting to know him for real. They had talked about a lot of things. Never before had they spent so much personal time together. Alex realized that he really never knew him at all, but today he had discovered the real Ian Rider who wasn't Ian Rider at all. After all that he had been told about the Jedi and the Force, he was not longer reluctant to be a Jedi. It sounded like an exciting life.


	10. Feel the Force

**Feel the Force**   
  
  


Alex awoke several hours later to hear shrieks and cries coming from outside. What was going on? He ran out of his room in time to see Obi-Wan heading for the door.

Obi-Wan spotted Alex. "Come with me." Alex followed him outside.

The sounds were coming from the outer side of the sand dune. They quickly climbed to the top and lay on their stomachs in the sand. Alex saw about a dozen strange creatures gathered around their spaceship. They were tall and had horns on their heads. They were holding big torches and large spears of some kind held above their heads and were making a great deal of noise, as if they had found something of great value.

"What are they?" Alex asked.

"Tuskan Raiders," Obi-Wan answered. "They live in the rocks and attack people outside the cities. They are very cruel and will kill for what they want."

"What do you think they want?"

"They want to destroy the spaceship."

"Why?"

"To destroy. It's all they know."

"What are we going to do?" No sooner had he asked, and Obi-Wan jumped to his feet and ran down the dune, drawing his lightsaber at the last possible second. Alex watched in amazement as he began slicing away. In one whoosh and blur of blue light, he had beheaded two of them. Two more came rushing at him with their spears. Obi-Wan thrust his hand out and they slammed against the spaceship and crumpled to the ground, thrown by an unseen force. He took several more well-placed slashed and whirls, and in a few moments, they all lay dead at his feet, Obi-Wan completely untouched. He switched off his lightsaber and clipped it back on his belt. He climbed back up the sand dune as if he had just returned from a midnight stroll.

Alex ran to him. "That was incredible. How did you do it?"

"It's all part of being a Jedi, my boy. With some training, you'll be able to do the same easily," he explained. "Let's go back to bed."

The next morning Obi-Wan began Alex's training in the ways of the Force.

"What is the Force, exactly?" Alex asked. "You've mentioned it, but I don't know what it is."

"The Force is what gives the Jedi his power. It is an energy field created by all living things. It surrounds us and penetrates us and binds everything together," Obi-Wan explained.

"Why haven't I heard of this before?"

"Living things do not exist in the same way on Earth as they do in this galaxy. I can't explain it because I really don't know. The Fore is one of those invisible things that no one can see but it is as real as you and I."

Alex nodded. "I see."

"The Force has two sides to it, a light side, that of the Jedi, and a dark side, that of the Sith. As of now, the Force is unbalanced, the dark side being stronger, due to the rise of the Empire and its Sith Lord emperor."

"What is a Sith Lord?" Alex wondered aloud.

"Just as Jedi are the servants of the light side, the Sith are the servants of the dark side, exercising fear, power, and hate. Their anger makes them very powerful, but they do not know how to control it. Use of power in the wrong way only leads to destruction." He paused a moment, choosing his next words carefully. "Darth Vader lost control of his emotions, wanted power, and became the Emperor's apprentice, and as a result, Anakin was killed, as I told you."

Alex watched Obi-Wan's face. By his expression and the look of a deep hidden sadness, Alex knew there was something he was not telling him. There was more to the story, but the memory was too painful to tell now. Alex decided to wait some time to ask him about it.

"As I was saying," Obi-Wan continued, "the Force is very powerful and can be used for many things. For instance, a Jedi can learn to feel danger near, he can find his way around in absolute darkness, or he can move objects without touching them, as well as use a lightsaber properly."

"That's how you defeated those creatures last night. I saw them being thrown against the ship without your ever touching them."

"Correct," he said. "You see my lightsaber over there?" He pointed to the table across the room.

Alex nodded.

"Watch it. I will bring it here." He put out his hand, and an instant later, it shot through the air and was in his hand.

"Cool," Alex said, impressed.

"The first step to becoming a Jedi is to learn the feel the Force. Feel it flow through you. Close your eyes and relax. Don't think about anything."

Alex shut his eyes. At first he felt nothing.

"Try to visualize the room."

Alex visualized the room in his mind. The small table was across from him against the wall, the table in front of him, the bookshelf was on the right, no, the left? Alex couldn't remember.

"You are relying on your own mind. You are tense. Relax and learn to stretch out with your feelings."

Alex tried it again. He relaxed completely, not focusing on anything in his mind. He felt something, a small flicker of something. Then he could see the room clearly in his mind. He sensed things he normally would not have remembered. It was almost as if he had his eyes open, but not quite the same. He couldn't exactly see things, but he could sense where they were.

"I feel it," he said.

"Very good," Obi-Wan said. Alex couldn't see him, but felt as if he was grinning.

Alex opened his eyes.

"That ability is very useful. When a Jedi goes somewhere he has never been, it makes it easier to find his way around and sense danger."

"That would have been helpful as a spy," Alex said.

"I agree. I missed it on Earth," Obi-Wan said. "Now, we are going to try something. I want you to try something. I want you to walk down the hallway to your room here and come back here with your eyes closed, using the technique you just learned."

"Okay." Alex stood up and closed his eyes. He felt it. He sensed the room around him. He cautiously headed in the direction of the hallway as he saw it. Then he bumped into the corner.

"Ow." He rubbed his forehead, still keeping his eyes closed.

"Don't rely on memory. It will fail you," Obi-Wan instructed.

Alex tried again. He course-corrected and slowly walked down the hallway. He reached out to feel for the doorway.

"Don't touch the wall. You cannot rely on your physical senses when using the Force."

Alex stopped. He had lost the mental picture. He relaxed and tried again to access the Force.

The doorway was three steps in front of him. He smiled to himself as he walked through the doorway without hitting anything. Then he turned around and walked back successfully.

"Very good," Obi-Wan said after he had sat back down and opened his eyes. "You would not believe how long it takes some young apprentices to grasp the idea. You have just completed step one to becoming a Jedi -- learning to access the Force. Now try it again."

Alex walked down the hallway again, this time without bumping into anything.

"So you see," Obi-Wan said, "It's not so hard. Once you learn to use the Force and continue to use it, it will become second nature."

Alex practiced using the Force all morning, doing little exercises his uncle taught him. They seemed so simple, yet so different at the same time. He was catching on quickly, much faster than Obi-Wan had expected. He was beginning to get the hang of it.

"All right, all right, enough sleepwalking for today," Obi-Wan teased after a while. Alex came into the room, his eyes closed, his arms stretched out in front of him with his mouth hanging open.

"Very funny," Obi-Wan mused.

Alex opened his eyes and grinned.

Over the next few weeks, he became more and more proficient using the Force. He learned to move things without touching the, as Obi-Wan had demonstrated. He also learned to use his karate skills with a blindfold, which was challenging. He practiced with his uncle-master who was good at fighting. Alex knew Obi-Wan could beat him easily, but he gave him just enough to challenge him.

One day, while taking a break from "blindfold karate," they sat outside talking.

"I'm glad I put you through those karate lessons. I had no idea you were so good," Obi-Wan said.

"I'm a black belt. When MI6 first called me in, they tried to tell me that you made me do all that stuff to train me as a spy. I didn't want to believe it because I had chosen to do those things."

"Naturally."

"Is it true, though? I am the one that brought it up in the first place."

"Yes, you did ask. But I planted seeds of desire by telling you about it. You see, I didn't necessarily want you to become a spy, I was just raising you the only way I knew how. In the Jedi Temple, where I was raised, all the younglings learned self-defense and other Force-training techniques. But since the Force was different on Earth, I settled for martial arts. Which apparently worked."

"That makes sense, I guess," Alex shrugged.

"You've become pretty good at this," Obi-Wan continued. "Let's try it with the blindfold off."

"Wouldn't that be easier?"

"No. With your eyes open, you can stop using the Force and using your own senses and be back to the same ordinary person you were."

"I see."

"It can be done. It will help you see things before they happen and you will be able to react quicker to them. This is the key to fighting with a lightsaber, especially against the Sith, who are very strong in the Force."

"Then how do we overcome them if they are so strong?"

"The light side is much stronger, though in a different way. I keep telling you how strong the dark side is because I want you to realize that the enemy is not weak. If you're not careful, you too could be seduced by its power. And there is power to be had. Look at the Emperor. He's the ruler of the whole galaxy. But look at everyone else, too. See the suffering, the bondage, the slavery, which they are in because of his power. He kills everyone who gets in his way.

"Did Darth Vader want power, also?" Alex asked.

Obi-Wan sighed. "Yes. He was personal friends with Palpatine before he made himself Emperor and before it was known that he was a Sith. You see, Vader was fearful -- fearful of letting go of the people he loved, and Palpatine told him of a way to save those whom he loved from death. Vader told himself that all his power was good, that it wouldn't hurt anyone, only help. Palpatine seduced Vader into becoming his apprentice and he ended up hurting the very people that he had wanted to save. He could not control his fear and it has taken over him completely. Palpatine told him to do horrible things. He turned against the Jedi and killed all that he could find. The first he killed was Anakin, because he wanted to get to me. He thought I was hindering him from what he thought he needed when I was trying to help him get back on track. He became angry and killed my apprentice. We met up on the planet of Mustafar, a volcano planet and had a long and difficult lightsaber duel.

"We had been floating down the lava river on a large piece of debris. I jumped off to get away from him. I didn't want to fight him. It was the hardest thing I had ever done. I couldn't kill him. I stood on the ground. He watched me with hatred in his eyes, swearing that he would be the most powerful. I knew what he was thinking. He was going to jump off the piece of debris and try to kill me. I called out to him, warning him not to try it. He tried it anyway.

"He flipped off the board to kill me, blinded by his hatred. But in midair, I slashed my lightsaber, cutting off his legs and one arm. He fell to the ashes on the bank of the lava river, cursing me. I told him I knew there was still good in him. He lay there, helpless, and soon the flames from the river began to consume him. It was the most painful thing I ever had to do. I had to turn my back and walk away."

Alex listened silently. Now he understood why the memories of Anakin were painful. He had been killed in cold blood. "How did Vader survive?"

"Palpatine came along shortly after I had fled and found him alive. I honestly don't know how anyone could have survived that. But he did. They took him to the medical ward and performed emergency surgery on him. Now, he wears a life-sustaining suit with mechanical arms and legs. There's not much of him left now. He's mostly machine, they say. I have not encountered him since that day."

"Obi-Wan, I'm so sorry," Alex said solemnly. "Does he know you're still alive?"

"I honestly don't know. I'm sure Emperor Palpatine has him doing better things than hunting down an old Jedi like me. Immediately after that, I came to live here, in exile," he said.

They sat in silence for a while, thinking. Then Obi-Wan said, "Well, it's time to get back to your training. And another thing: you shouldn't call me Obi-Wan."

"Sorry," Alex apologized. "What do I call you then?"

"Hmm. Well, technically, you are my nephew, but you are also my padawan and I am your master. Jedi don't know their relatives, so we must keep it top secret."

"So, it's Master Obi-Wan Kenobi, then?" Alex raised an eyebrow.

"That would probably be best."

"Do I need to change my name? I'm sure I'm the only Alex in the entire galaxy."

"No, that won't be necessary. Everyone has an original name. You'll fit right in."

Alex stood and bowed. "Thank you, Master Kenobi."

Obi-Wan smiled as he returned the bow. "You're welcome, my padawan learner."


	11. Anakin

**Anakin**

Alex began to learn karate with the blindfold. At first, it was difficult to use the Force because he could see and trust his own instincts, but once he finally learned, he found that it sharpened his senses and helped him react much quicker.

Obi-Wan spent a good deal of time on this. He wanted Alex to get really good at using the Force before he introduced the lightsaber. And once he did, he knew Alex would learn with ease. He was advancing quickly. He seemed to be a natural at being at it, even though he was much older than the average age for starting Jedi training as an apprentice. Of course, the spy training had paid off. It gave a lot of what he needed. The ability not only to think fast but to react just as fast was definitely a plus for him. Soon he would be ready for a lightsaber.

After one particularly tiring day of training, Obi-Wan and Alex took a break under the shade from the hot suns outside.

"Master," Alex said (he still hadn't quite gotten used to calling him that), "Does anyone else live on this planet besides us? The only other beings I've seen here are those creatures that you killed."

Obi-Wan chuckled. "We are kind of secluded, aren't we? I guess I could take you into the nearest space port." He paused for a moment, thinking. "You know, that's a good idea. Let's take a day off tomorrow and visit Mos Espa."

The next morning, Obi-Wan and Alex put on their long, concealing Jedi robes and rode Obi-Wan's sand speeder into Mos Espa. Upon reaching the city limits, two white figures in white armor, black guns, and odd-looking helmets stopped them.

"What are they?" whispered Alex.

"Stormtroopers," his master responded quietly. "Imperial soldiers. They're everywhere. And I mean everywhere."

"I.D., please," one of them ordered. His voice sounded as if it was amplified from inside the helmet through a microphone inside. He stuck out one hand and cradled his blaster in the other.

"You don't need to see my I.D.," Obi-Wan said with a wave of his hand. "I can go through."

"I don't need to see your I.D. You can go through."

After passing the roadblock, Alex asked in wonder, "How did you do that?"

"It's all part of using the Force. It can have a very strong effect on weak-minded beings. And yes," he added, "Stormtroopers have weak minds."

"I see. I'll have to give it a try," Alex said with a sly grin.

"Did I mention it doesn't work on other Jedi?" Obi-Wan asked, seeing the look on his face and guessing his intentions. He carefully guided the speeder through the downtown traffic. Alex saw many strange creatures walking up and down the dusty road. He parked it in front of a stone building. Apart from all of the creatures, it looked like any other normal town in a dusty place.

"What is this place?"

"This is the local cantina," Obi-Wan explained. "I come here every once in a while to find the news and other bits of political information that can only be heard through word-of-mouth."

The cantina was very busy for a restaurant, especially for the early hour. Obi-Wan pulled his large hood over his head. Alex did the same. Completely concealed in their robes, they found a seat at a corner table.

"Jedi are not only good at eavesdropping, we are the best," Obi-Wan said in a low voice.

Alex thought of all the times he had had to eavesdrop. That would have been helpful as a spy," he said.

"Tell me about it," Obi-Wan rolled his eyes.

"I thought we were taking the day off."

"Jedi are always ready for anything, especially learning helpful new techniques. I can't teach you this apart from others. It is a quick and easy skill to learn," he said. "Just as you use the Force to sharpen your vision and reflexes when you are fighting, use the Force to sharpen your hearing to hear small sounds and you and focus on others' conversations."

"How do I do that?"

"Pick out someone to eavesdrop on, preferably someone that is talking, and use the Force to concentrate on what they are saying."

Alex focused on the person he had chosen. He reached out with the Force. Instantly his hearing sharpened and he could pick up small sounds -- the sip of a drink, the clink of silverware being placed on the table, along with the low din of chatter. He focused on what the being was saying.

"...and he said that he was going to buy a new speeder, seeing how his last one was stolen. I heard last week..."

"I hear it," he whispered excitedly. 

"Very good," Obi-Wan smiled. He found great joy in watching young Jedi pick up on new skills.

"I heard him like he was standing right next to me," Alex said.

"Try a few more. Focus on someone further away."

Alex focused his attention on the bartender. This time he was able to pick it up more easily.

"...thank you for visiting the cantina and have a nice day..."

Alex tried several more, getting better at it each time. They both eavesdropped on others, listening for any information of interest that might be said. After a while, when nothing particularly important was being said, they slipped out of the cantina.

They left the speeder parked and began to walk down the dusty, sandy road. As they walked, Alex noticed something different about the other beings. Not their being strange creatures, but rather a difference about themselves.

"Master, there is something different about everyone else. There's no..." he searched for the right word, "Familiarity. I know I don't know any of them, but it's different than on Earth. It's like there's an invisible bond between you and me that I don't feel between anyone else. I've never noticed it before."

"That is the presence of the Force you are detecting," he explained.

"Does anyone else notice it?"

"Only the Force-sensitive. That's how you can tell if another Jedi is around, by reaching out with the Force and sensing if it is present with others."

It was an enjoyable day. Alex couldn't remember the last time he had spent an entire day of leisurely activities with his uncle. They walked all over town, seeing the sights of the city and enjoying each other's company. Alex learned a lot about life on Tatooine. It was similar to the life he knew on Earth, but different in so many ways. For one thing, there were the many different creatures walking about, besides human beings. Obi-Wan told him the names of several, few of which Alex could remember, let alone pronounce.

They walked through the open-air market, where many tents were set up and sellers calling out to passers-by to purchase their merchandise. They stopped at a few to buy a few things needed at the house, and then went on their way. They stopped at a small cafe and sat down to eat lunch.

"Why did you choose Tatooine as your place of exile?" Alex asked at length. "I know it's a remote planet and all, but why here?"

"Many years ago, shortly before I began my missions to Earth, I was traveling with my Master, Qui-Gon Jinn, and several others. We landed here to make repairs on our spaceship. It's quite a long story, actually. I stayed on the ship while Qui-Gon and two others went into town to get the parts we needed. He met Watto, who sold parts for all kinds of spaceships and things like that. He owned two slaves, a mother and her son. They let Qui-Gon and the others stay at their house during their stay and got to know them. Qui-Gon found the boy to be extraordinary. He could build anything. At the time, he was working on a protocol droid and a Podracer, which is like a racecar. They are specially built for the Podrace that was to be held that week. The boy was also an exceptional pilot for his age. Qui-Gon made a deal with Watto, that if the boy won the race, he would give us the parts we needed and the boy would go free. He tried freeing the mother, but Watto would not agree. It was an intense race, it came down to just the boy and one other racer. He succeeded in passing him and won the race. He was free to go with us back to Coruscant.

Master Qui-Gon checked him out and found many interesting things about him that led him to believe that he was a very special person and that the will of the Force had let their paths cross. He wanted to take him on as his apprentice, but could not immediately because I was his apprentice at the time and would have to be declared as a Jedi Knight first. Meanwhile, conflicts were developing, and Master Qui-Gon and I had a lightsaber duel with a Sith, Darth Maul. The battle was intense, and we fought our best against him. I became trapped after he had knocked me down and couldn't fight. Qui-Gon continued while I watched, agonizing because I had failed to keep up. Darth Maul caught him off guard and stabbed him with his lightsaber. Qui-Gon lay there, dying. I yelled. I could not believe it that my Master had just been defeated. Seconds that seems like an eternity passed. The energy-ray door I had been trapped behind opened and I rushed at the Sith. I fought him with everything I had, reaching farther into the Force than I ever had. I fought to keep my anger under control. 

He knocked me off and I held on for all I was worth to piece of metal that stuck out from the wall, suspended high in the air, and watched my lightsaber clatter down into the abyss. I saw the lightsaber of my fallen Jedi Master next to him. I reached out with the Force, concentrating in the weapon. I pulled it through the air and at the same time jumped up and caught it in my hand. I flipped over him and stabbed him. He keeled over backwards and fell into the depths.

"I ran to my dying Master and held his head in my hands. In his dying words, he charged me to take on the boy and train him as a Jedi, because he could not. I promised him his last request and wept bitterly. My Master, my best friend in the galaxy, had died.

"The Jedi Council granted me the level of Jedi Knight and I took on the boy as my apprentice. That boy was Anakin Skywalker, the Chosen One."

Alex watched Obi-Wan as he related the story. He had been through a lot. First, his Master died, and later his apprentice that his Master had died for also died. Alex couldn't imagine the pain he had to deal with.

"So he's from Tatooine?"

"Yes, but there's more. Shortly before he became a Knight, he married. After several years, they found out she was expecting a baby. Several months passed, and the baby was ready to be born. It was also at the time of the rise of the Empire and Darth Vader was being employed to seek and kill all Jedi. As I told you, the first he murdered was Anakin. His wife was so grief-stricken that she went into labor and had her baby, which turned out to be twins: a boy and a girl. She then died of a broken heart for Anakin."

"What happened to the twins?"

"The girl, Leia, lives with a royal family on the planet of Alderaan. They have adopter her as their own. The boy, Luke, lives with his aunt and uncle."

"Where?"

"Here on Tatooine," Obi-Wan said. "And that is why I live on Tatooine. I check up on him every once in a while to make sure he is safe. I keep my distance, so he doesn't see me. He doesn't know who I am, but if anything were to happen, I would take care of him. It is my duty to see that Luke is protected. If Darth Vader ever finds out that Anakin's children survived, he would kill them for sure."

"Does anyone watch out for Leia? I know there's not that many of you Jedi left, but what about her?"

"Yes, she has a protector, a Jedi who left the Order before he became a Knight. His name was Ferus Olin. He is, of course, in deep cover. When he was an apprentice, he and Darth Vader were constant rivals. If he found out where Ferus was, he would kill him, too."

"Sounds like Darth Vader is completely ruthless," Alex concluded.

Obi-Wan nodded. "That he is. He stops at nothing to get what he wants."

They sat in silence for several moments, pondering all that was said.

"Well, I think it is time we were going. I want to show you the Podrace track. It's pretty impressive," Obi-Wan said after a while.

They walked back to the cantina and took the speeder to the track and stadium. Alex was impressed. It was huge. He could imagine thousands of beings seated and cheering in the massive stadiums. He definitely needed to see a race sometime.

They exited the track and made their way out of Mos Espa. They traveled o a farmhouse outside of town. After parking the speeder a good distance away, they walked to a concealed place to see the house. Alex saw a young boy playing outside.

"Luke!" a woman called from inside the house, "Time for dinner!"

Instantly, the boy obeyed and went inside the house.

Alex gestured toward the small boy. "That's Luke, Anakin's kid, isn't it?" 

"Yes, it is. I'm just checking up on him. He seems to be doing fine."

"Thanks for the day off, by the way," Alex smiled at his master.

"The pleasure was mine, believe me," Obi-Wan smiled in return. He had enjoyed the day, even though it had meant bringing up painful memories of the past. It was good for him to visit those places every once in a while.


	12. Record-Keeper Jedi

**Record-Keeper Jedi**

After lunch one day, several months later, Obi-Wan and Alex sat down at the table. The suns shone brightly through the window, illuminating the whole of the stone house.

"Do you know what day it is?" Obi-Wan asked with a twinkle in his eye. Alex remembered the look fondly. He always had this look when he was going to do something particularly uncle-ish.

Alex shook his head. He had lost track of time a while ago. 

"Today is a holiday celebrated on Earth, known as Christmas Day." That explained the twinkle in his eye.

The young apprentice was surprised to hear this information. "Really? Has it been that long since I've been here?" Alex remembered that it had been May when he had left. That meant he had been here for seven months!

"Yes, believe it or not. And since it is a custom to give gifts on Christmas, I have something for you." He left the room for a moment and returned with a small metal object in his hand. "My padawan, Alex Rider," he began, "You have done exceptionally well these months of your Jedi training. According to the Code, you were far too old to begin; yet you have advanced further in a few months than most do in a five years. It is my duty, honor, and pleasure to present you with your very own Jedi weapon, a lightsaber."

Alex took it in his hand. The hilt was cylindrical and quite dense. He found the button on the side and pressed it. Instantly, a green beam of light appeared with a snap-hiss from the end. He looked at it with amazement. He finally had his own lightsaber. He moved it around and smiled to himself as it buzzed and hummed with each movement. He then held it squarely in front of him with both hands and gave Obi-Wan a bow. "I thank you, Master, for your gift. It will serve me well."

"Keep in mind, Alex, that this weapon is your life. If you lose it, it cannot be replaced easily." Obi-Wan chuckled to himself. He recalled having to tell Anakin Skywalker this same phrase countless times. Quick as lightning, he ignited his own lightsaber. "Are you ready to learn how to use it?"

Alex smiled. "Absolutely."

___________________________________________

It was now almost a year since Alex had come to live with his uncle/master to train as a Jedi. He had become very proficient with his lightsaber, and could draw it just as fast as Obi-Wan. They often fought each other for practice for both of them. Alex used the Force for so many things now that he wondered how he had ever lived without it on Earth. Every now and again, his thoughts would drift to the Pleasures, but they would soon drift back where they came from. He loved being with his uncle and learning the Jedi ways. His future was here, training, so that one day, when the rebellion happened, he would be ready to fight alongside his uncle and Master, Obi-Wan Kenobi.

The two Jedi went into town and visited the small cantina one day in what Alex guessed was probably April. It had been a while since they had been there, and Obi-Wan wanted to get caught up on the news. They chose the usual table in the far corner and began their eavesdropping. After they had gathered a few useful tidbits and were getting ready to leave, an important-looking figure and his men strode through the door.

Obi-Wan put a hand on Alex's arm. "Hold on. He's an Imperial officer. He might have something worth hearing."

They sat back down and put their hoods over their heads to conceal their faces. The officer took a seat at the bar and ordered food and drinks. A hush took over the room as everyone wanted to hear what he had to say. Nobody liked the Imperials except the Imperials themselves, but he did know what was happening.

There was no need for Jedi eavesdropping as he began talking. He told of everything happening in the Empire: who got promotions, what planets had been taken over, and who had been killed or taken prisoner in the process.

"And during the invasion of Kreon," he was saying in a rather pompous manner, "We happened to find another Jedi! Another Jedi! Can you believe that? I thought they all died out years ago."

Alex and Obi-Wan exchanged surprised looks."

"After all the Jedi that have been killed, you would have thought there weren't any left. I don't know why she risked her life still following that ridiculous religion, but then again, all the better for us. It was me who found her of course," he bragged. "I immediately informed Lord Vader. He is there right now, interrogating her, getting as much information out of her as he can, until I get there. The Emperor called him away on some important business. I am going to fill in for him for a few days and interrogate her further. It turned out to be my lucky day. She just happened to be the record-keeping Jedi who knows of every single Jedi that is still alive!" He took a deep breath, most of which Alex guessed was hot air, and continued. "She keeps threatening to escape, but she never will. No one escapes from Zanzibar prison, especially from the third story. I can't wait to get there and crush her spirit!"

Alex gasped.

"Damar Lynn!" Obi-Wan whispered in alarm. Instantly their minds were racing. Another Jedi...Darth Vader...Zanzibar Prison...she would be killed!

The officer rambled on for quite some time, boasting about his accomplishments and what not.

"Let's go," Obi-Wan said after a while.

They hopped in the speeder and sat, staring straight ahead as they traveled, thinking hard about the situation.

They had to rescue Damar.

______________________________________-

"Where are the records?"

Darth Vader was angry. His booming, electronically-enhanced voice filled the room with his rage. At first, he had been quite pleased that the record-keeping Jedi had been captured. But now, after quite some time of interrogation, he had extracted no information out of her. She was becoming more trouble than she was worth.

Damar was fallen on her knees in front of the towering Lord Vader. Her face was worn and haggard from three days without food or water in the prison cell. But she was strong. She would not betray the few living Jedi left by telling Vader anything, even if she had to die. She knew she would be killed anyway even if she told them what they wanted to hear.

Vader picked her up and held her in front of him in a Force-choke hold around her neck.

"Tell me where they are, now!" he repeated. "Or you will die."

Damar's hands flew to her neck. She felt her throat constricting. Breathing was soon becoming a luxury she would not have for long. Her vision was dimming. "Never!" she managed in a barely audible whisper.

Suddenly Vader's comlink buzzed. Urgent request from Palpatine, which meant, "drop everything you are doing now and come talk to me."

 _What is he thinking? Doesn't he know I'm in the middle of an important interrogation?_ Infuriated, he force-flung her to the side. She slammed against the wall and crumpled to the floor, gasping fro breath. Vader turned on his heel and angrily strode out of the room, his dark cape billowing behind him.

"I'll deal with you later," he said darkly.

He headed to the interplanetary connections room. It was a conference room with a large round table in the center. Around the table were sets of buttons. He walked up to one set and pressed a button. Instantly a life-size hologram of Emperor Palpatine appeared.

"Lord Vader," he rasped in his nasally voice, "How is the interrogation faring."

"She will reveal nothing. Even her thoughts won't betray her." There was almost a hint of frustration in her voice.

The Emperor frowned. "Just as I expected. She will not reveal anything. In the meantime, I need you back here with me to take care of some important business. I am sending General Bokra to replace you for a few days."

"Yes, Master," he said. "I will be on my way immediately."

"General Bokra will arrive this evening to further interrogate the prisoner."

"Yes, Master."

__________________________________

"What are we going to do?" asked Alex.

Obi-Wan sighed. "I don't know. I can't go. Vader would kill me if he saw me.. I have to stay in deep cover. I can't afford to be seen by anyone that would know me."

"I'll go," said Alex.

"That's very good of you, Alex, but that isn't possible. You aren't strong enough in the Force. You don't know your way around the galaxy like I do. No, you can't go."

"But we can't just let her die!" Alex exclaimed.

"Maybe this is why I came here, to rescue her. Maybe it was the will of the Force that I am here for this. How else would you explain this guy just happening to stop at the cantina in Mos Espa while we were there? He could have stopped at any other place on any other planet. There's no one else you could contact fast enough that could get there before Vader, if there even is anybody. Please, let's go. She's important," Alex pleaded. "Besides, it will be good training for me. I'll get to meet another Jedi."

Alex was surprised with himself. If MI6 had asked him to do something like this when he worked for them, he would not have wanted to do it at all. But this was different, wasn't it? It was a chance to do something with his uncle besides stay at the house and train all day long.

Obi-Wan listened to Alex. He had a point. And if Damar was still the same person he had known at the Temple, she would die before they got anything out of her. But if she was killed, they probably would find the records and then they would find him and Ferus...what would happen to the twins then? The whole future of the galaxy could depend on his decision to go or stay.

"You're right," he said at length. "We'll both go. It will be good training for you. Records are important. Grab your lightsaber, Alex. We're going to Kreon."

Obi-Wan started the speeder and went off to trade for a spaceship.


	13. Zanzibar

**Zanzibar**

Soon they were headed for Kreon. Obi-Wan had traded his speeder for a small, two-passenger spaceship. They had stopped by the house to close it up, and then they were on their way.

They rode in silence for quite some time. Obi-Wan thought of the big risk he was taking. He had been on countless Jedi missions similar to this one, but it had always been with Anakin, not against him. If Vader discovered his whereabouts, he would surely try to kill him. Obi-Wan couldn't bear another lightsaber duel like the one on Mustafar. He would have to kill him. But could he? Anakin had been his padawan from a young age. He was his best friend, like a brother in many ways when they were older. But he had been deceived, turned against what he had been taught. He had become a monster. He had turned to the dark side, turned his back on Obi-Wan and the Jedi Order.

And what about Alex? He had been a great spy, as reluctant as he had been. But this was different. Alex had the Force and a lightsaber to help him. And he wanted to go, too. Maybe this would turn out all right, after all.

Alex was also deep in thought. He was actually going on a mission with his uncle, and not by himself. This would be different. They would fight together and rescue this other Jedi, Damar Lynn, and save all the other Jedi that were still alive.

Soon, Kreon loomed in front of them. It was rather ironic to put a prison there. Its fair temperatures and beautiful scenery made it a popular vacation spot in the galaxy where few people actually resided, which made it an easy planet to conquer. Alex thought that it didn't make any sense to conquer it: people went there to get away from the Empire. Tourism would drop drastically. The Empire was probably jealous that it was doing so well financially and wanted the help in its economy.

A few minutes later they had landed in the bustling spaceport. Hundreds of tourists milled about, making it difficult to walk in a straight line to anywhere.

Obi-Wan and Alex maneuvered through the crowd and headed toward a restaurant to get something to eat and discuss their mission.

"Where is Zanzibar Prison?" asked Alex.

"It's on the outskirts of Zanzibar City, where we are now. It's the only prison on the planet."

"Didn't that officer say she was on the third level?"

"He certainly did," Obi-Wan smirked.

Alex grinned back. "I'm sure that guy didn't realize that there were two Jedi listening to everything he had to say when he disclosed that information." He paused a moment, then said, "Do you think it's a trap? Do you think he knew we were there and said all that to lure us here and capture us?"

Obi-Wan thought of the possibility. "No, I don't think so. When he was there, he never looked in our direction. He couldn't have possibly noticed us. I would have sensed if he was lying?"

Alex raised an eyebrow. "Another Jedi trick?"

His master smiled. "I'll have to teach it to you sometime."

"Do we have a plan of attack?"

"Well, first off, I think we should rescue Damar. Then we must go to her house and get the Jedi records. Then we will make our getaway before Vader arrives back."

"I like it," Alex said. "Nice and simple."

_________________________________________

"Get moving!"

A stormtrooper guard was leading, or rather, dragging, Damar down the cellblock corridor, her hands in stun cuffs behind her. As weak as she was, she had to firmly decide not to cooperate with anyone. If she didn't cooperate, they would become angry and make mistakes. Even if they killed her, they still would never find the records, let alone break the codes. It didn't matter if it cost her her life. She would never betray her fellow Jedi.

They came to a cell. He unlocked it and shoved her inside, then slammed the door shut.

Damar lay there for a while, exhausted. She struggled to sit up. She looked around the dimly lit cell. It was very small, just barely long enough for her to lie down. There was no mattress for her to lie down on, just the bare floor. At the opposite end of the cell was a small window where the few rays of sunlight were coming from.

Something moved in the corner. Damar froze for a second, then relaxed. She should have known someone else was in here. Damar strained to see her cellmate. She was a young woman of about twenty, older than she, with a bruise on her left cheek and several more on her arms. Her cheeks were sunken and her eyes looked as if she hadn't slept in days. She gave a pitiful smile.

"Welcome to my cell," she said. Her voice was void of emotion.

What a welcome place to be, thought Damar.

"I'm Nyra," she said.

"Damar," she winced. Her throat was sore and it hurt to talk.

"Ah, let me guess, questioned by Vader.?"

Damar nodded, holding her throat.

"And what brings you to Zanzibar Prison, Damar?"

Damar looked at her skeptically. She didn't trust anyone. "Why would you care?"

Nyra shrugged. "Just thought I'd ask. We've all got our reasons, mostly for crimes against the Empire. I'm here because I was helping the Resistance movement here on Kreon. But since these hair-brained stormtroopers who have no more sense than a bantha on Hoth have taken over, they captured me and put me here. I was helping that Jedi. Ferus Olin I think was his name."

The mention of Ferus' name got Damar's attention. "You know Ferus Olin?"

"Yeah. He's the one that got the Resistance started here. You know him too?"

"I've heard of him," she replied vaguely. Ferus Olin. Resistance Fighters, here on Kreon. And he had never told her. That would be just like him, too.

"How?" Nyra pressed.

"Jedi know each other," Damar shrugged.

"You're a Jedi, too? And so young. I've always wanted to meet a Jedi."

"Didn't you meet Ferus?"

"Well, not exactly," Nyra stammered. "We -- the Resistance fighters -- always met in groups, and he would talk to all of us, like a bit meeting."

"Oh."

They sat in silence for a while. Damar turned to face the wall. What would happen to her now?


	14. Hideout

**Hideout**

Zanzibar Prison loomed ahead, its large castle-like shape dark and foreboding. It seemed to suck all of the light out of the sunny day. There were four stories and several turrets. A large moat surrounded it, with a large bridge that was lowered by ropes and pulleys over the moat. It was hidden in a large clearing in the middle of a forest that surrounded it. Stormtroopers patrolled the edge of the woods.

Obi-Wan and Alex were crouched behind a cluster of bushes a good distance away, planning their strategy.

"How about swimming across?" Alex suggested.

"I don't think that will work," said Obi-Wan. "The moat is filled with a deadly poisonous fish that secretes a toxic chemical into the water, making it also poisonous. One drop would make you very sick for the next few hours, and then you would die."

"You've got a point there," he said. "What other options do we have?"

"Have you forgotten already?" Obi-Wan corrected him gently. "We're Jedi. We have the Force on our side."

Alex could have slapped himself. Duh, Alex. "Force-leap."

"Now you've got it," said Obi-Wan. "The moat isn't that wide across. It won't be hard to jump across it. We'll wait until those stormtroopers disappear around the other side of the prison, then we'll make our break. One more thing," he added, "Don't use your lightsaber unless it is absolutely necessary. We don't want to draw any unnecessary attention and give ourselves away."

As soon as the stormtroopers were out of sight, the two Jedi took off running. Normally, Alex would never have been able to jump across something that wide, but it was not big deal now that he had the Force. They got closer and closer to the moat. Alex called on the Force. He counted his steps. Three...two...one...Alex flew off the ground and went sailing through the air, somersaulting in midair. He landed safely with a soft thud on the other side.

Obi-Wan landed next to him. "Very nice, Alex. But try to land on your feet next time."

He helped Alex up and they headed for the entrance. Two stormtroopers stood guarding themselves against the large durasteel double doors.

Obi-Wan and Alex pressed themselves against the wall.

"What we need is a distraction," Obi-Wan said. "I'm on it," Alex said. He stepped out and boldly walked up to the guards and put his hands to the door handle.

"What do you think you're doing?" one demanded.

"I'm here to see my father," Alex said calmly. "He was captured last week and I heard he was taken here."

"No visitors allowed," he said gruffly.

Alex shrugged. "All right, I'll leave."

As Alex turned to leave, he swung all the way around and drove his foot into the guard's midsection. He didn't even see it coming. He doubled over and fell to his knees with a grunt.

Alex took off running around the side of the prison, the opposite way he had come.

"Come back here!" yelled the other stormtrooper as he took off chasing him.

Blasterfire zinged past Alex. He ducked and dodged the red energy bolts.

The stormtrooper saw him disappear around the corner of the building. He turned the corner and stopped. Where did that kid go?

Alex watched from his perch atop the ledge above the guard. As he had rounded the corner, he had seen the ledge and had Force-leaped onto it.

Come on, a little closer!

The stormtrooper took a few more steps. Alex jumped off the ledge and fell onto the stormtrooper. It took him completely by surprise and he fell to the ground under Alex. He delivered blows to his head with his lightsaber hilt, being careful not to ignite it. The guard lay still. He was out cold.

He dragged the unconscious guard up against the wall, out of sight for now.

Obi-Wan watched the first stormtrooper stand up, dazed. Obi-Wan picked up a rock from the ground and tossed it in the bushes.

The stormtrooper pointed his blaster in the direction of the noise. "Who goes there?" he demanded. When no immediate response came, he walked over and used the muzzle of his blaster to probe around in the leaves.

Obi-Wan tiptoed up behind him. He grabbed his shoulders and slammed him to the ground on his back. The guard lay still. Obi-Wan threw the body into the bushes and picked up the blaster. He looked at it for a moment, then tossed it over his shoulder into the moat, where it sizzled as it sank in the murky water. "So uncivilized," he said to no on in particular.

Alex returned with a blaster in hand from the other stormtrooper.

"Good work, Alex. I'm impressed. I guess spy work is paying off."

"Thank you."

They opened the doors and were able to reach the third floor without any encounters.

"This is strange," Obi-Wan said.

"What?"

"The silence. There hasn't been any sign of life since we entered. I've felt the prisoners' presences in their cells, but you would at least expect a few guards. I hadn't even seen a droid."

Now that he had mentioned it, it had seemed strange. The prison wasn't that impregnable not to have any guard on duty inside.

"We'd better hurry."

They cautiously ran down the corridor. There were so many. Alex wondered about those on the other sides of the durasteel doors. Why had they been imprisoned? How many were actually criminals? From the way it sounded, almost all were here for 'crimes against the Empire.'

Suddenly, Obi-Wan stopped in front of one of the doors.

"What?" asked Alex.

"It's this one," he said quietly.

"How do you know?" Then he felt it- the familiar Force-presence that he sensed around Obi-Wan was stronger. Alex realized that it was coming from the Jedi inside the cell -- Damar Lynn. They had found her.

_______________________________________

Damar sat in the corner of her cell. She and her cellmate hadn't spoken in hours. They were each lost in their own thoughts, anything to keep their minds off the present situation. Damar had told Nyra little about herself, and what she did say, she said with caution. Nyra seemed naive enough, yet Damar was wary of everyone. It kept her safe.

Suddenly Damar sat bolt upright. She had sensed something -- a familiar presence outside her cell door.

_Hold on, we're coming, Damar._

She knew that presence. How did he get here? She hadn't heard anything about him in at least several years. Nevertheless, she knew without a doubt that Master Obi-Wan Kenobi had come to rescue her, and was going to break into her cell any moment.

Nyra looked alarmed. Damar motioned for her to keep quiet.

Damar shook her head and a ghost of a smile found its way onto her face. "I don't think so," she whispered.

A few seconds later, Obi-Wan had the latches off. He swung the door open.

It took Alex's eyes a few seconds to adjust to the dim light of the cell. What he saw caused him to stare in disbelief.

There, in the corner of the cell, was a young girl no older than he. Alex had expected this Damar Lynn to be, well, older. Especially if she was the keeper of the records. She had long brown hair and blue eyes that looked tired and worn. She looked as if she hadn't had sufficient nutrition in several days, if not a week. Her eyes were hollow from lack of rest and there were several bruises on her face. Her neck had a nasty mark on it, as if someone had tried to choke her. He couldn't help but wonder what she had been through and feeling anger towards whoever had done this to her.

"Master Kenobi," she said weakly. "I knew it was you."

"You must be Damar's rescuers," said another voice in the cell.

Alex peered harder into the cell. There was another young woman in the cell. She was a few years older than Damar and she was in the same state physically: tired an worn from day in the cell.

"Who is this?" asked Obi-Wan.

Damar struggled to stand up. Alex was surprised at her height, or lack of it. She wasn't very tall, the top of her head barely coming to his chin. Her frame was very small, as well.

"This is Nyra, my cellmate. She's part of the Resistance here on Kreon," she said. "With Ferus Olin."

Obi-Wan raised an eyebrow in surprise. "I didn't know about there being a Resistance here. That's good to know."

"Unfortunately, we were caught when the Empire took over. I don't know what happened to the others," she said.

"Who is this with you?" Damar asked.

Alex shifted on his feet. "This is my padawan, Alex. I'm training him as a Jedi."

"A new apprentice?" she mused. "There aren't any Masters and their apprentices alive except for you and yours.."

"We need to go," Obi-Wan said before she could say more. "Can you walk all right? It looks like you've been through a lot."

"I'll be fine," she said. "Just a little banged up, but I'll be fine. I'm a Jedi, remember?"

"I'm coming with you," said Nyra.

"Of course. We could use your help."

They took off running down the long corridor. The three Jedi sensed them before they saw them. The turbolift halfway down the hallway hissed open and stormtroopers armed with blasters poured out.

"Get them!" one shouted.

"Alex, take them and run!" Obi-Wan shouted. He ignited his lightsaber and whirled around, deflecting the deadly red energy bolts.

Alex and Damar both took their lightsabers out and continued running, trusting Obi-Wan to protect them as he ran backwards.

Quickly the reached the end of the corridor, a large window filled the space where there would normally be a brick wall. _How convenient_ , Alex thought. 

Blasterfire pinged all around them. Obi-Wan was surprised at their lack of skill in aiming. Half of them weren't even close. They must be cadets. It always did take them a while to learn what they were doing with those bulky blasters.

"Jump out the window!" Damar yelled. "It's our only option."

"I can't jump from this high!" Nyra protested. She looked out the window, then took a step back, her face white with fear. "Besides, we have no way to open the window."

"Trust us!" Obi-Wan said without looking behind him. 

Damar took Alex's lightsaber from him, ignited it and shoved it through the glass of the window and began working it down the edge, cutting it out of its frame. The window glowed with the heat of the saber. 

"Hurry!" Nyra said desperately. "They keep coming!" 

Damar stood back as Alex kicked out the window. It fell down to the ground and shattered. They all stepped out onto the ledge, Obi-Wan still deflecting fire from the blasters. Nyra clung desperately to Alex. She buried her face in is shoulder, too afraid to look down.

"Ready?" he said. "I'll take Nyra. We'll jump down to the ground jump across the moat to get out of here. Ready...now!"

He whirled around and grabbed Nyra and the three Jedi and their unwilling companion Force-leaped to the ground. For a few seconds the blasterfire stopped as they disappeared from the ledge.

"Go!" Obi-Wan yelled.

Once again, they used the Force to leap across the broad moat and landed running. The stormtroopers had gone out on the ledge and were now firing at them once again, but they soon had disappeared into the safety of the woods.

It was not until they had found a safe alley in the heart of Zanzibar City that they finally stopped to rest.

"Whoo! I'm free again!" Nyra laughed as she gasped for air.

Damar smiled. The escape from prison had been exhilarating, and she felt better already.

"We need to get somewhere safer," Alex said.

"You're right," Obi-Wan agreed.

Nyra spoke up. "I know a place." All eyes turned to her. "Our Resistance hideout. It's safe."

Damar looked doubtful. "Is it? You were captured, along with the rest of them."

Nyra shook her head. "They didn't get us when we were there. We were protesting in front of the senatorial building where they had taken over. They have no idea where our hideout is, or if we even have one," she answered with a smirk.

"Good. Where is it?" asked Obi-Wan.

"It's under a restaurant in Metapor. Tet's Diner. He is the Resistance leader here on Kreon. I think he is one of the only ones who wasn't captured. He'll take care of you all, since you're Jedi. If we start now, we can reach it by nightfall."

Obi-Wan nodded. "Then it's settled. Let's go."

When the four weary travelers finally reached their destination, the place was hopping with business. It was the middle of the dinner rush. The restaurant was crowded, with more coming in every minute.

Nyra walked straight up to the counter, the others following. She motioned for one of the server droids to come over.

"I'd like a glass of water," she said. The droid disappeared into the kitchen and returned with the water. He set it in front of her.

"Tip," he said.

"Thanks," she said. "I have a tip for you. The best place to hide something is in plain sight."

"That's a good tip. I'll be right back."

A few moments later, an alien came out of the kitchen to talk to the group. He was rather short, with wrinkled, pale purple skin, with a pleasant-looking face. Pretty harmless looking overall. He did not look the part of a secret Resistance operative leader.

"Nyra!" he exclaimed. "How good to see you."

"You have no idea, Tet," she returned.

"Who's with you?" Tet eyed the trio suspiciously.

"They're with me. They're Jedi," Nyra explained. "They helped me and I'm sure they would like to help us."

"Wonderful! Why don't you all have a seat here? I'll meet with you in about an hour when we close. Just tell Jinn, my server droid, what you want to eat and he'll fix you up good. You all look half-starved."

They readily accepted the offer and sank into the seats. Alex suddenly remembered how hungry he was. Food had been the least of his worries today.

They all ate their steaming meals heartily. Damar and Nyra were famished, having hardly eaten in the last week.

Shortly after they had devoured their meals, Tet closed up the restaurant and came over to their table.

"Come with me," he said. "I'm going to take you to our hideout and then we can talk safely. Follow me."

The group followed Tet out the door. He led them back behind the restaurant to the alley. "This is our disposal system," he said quietly. "I've altered the trash chute to make it an underground entrance to our hideout."

He felt his hand along the wall, searching for a hidden control panel. He found it, pressed a button, and a small box with numbers on it came out of the wall.

 _Pretty clever_ , Alex thought. The box was perfectly matched to the color and texture of the wall and fit perfectly so that there were no visible lines.

Tet punched several numbers into the pad.

"Secret code for security. Only ones that know it are Nyra and me."

Off to the right, at ground level, a hidden door less than a meter tall quietly hissed open.

"Is that the entrance?" asked Alex.

"Yes," answered Nyra. "We crawl in there. Don't worry; you won't have to crawl all the way."

They followed Tet through the opening. It was a small tunnel that turned sharply to the right and opened up into a large room. Droids were busy dealing with trash from the restaurant.

"This way," Tet said. He headed to the opposite side of the room and opened a camouflage door. If anyone had managed to get this far, it would seem like a dead end. The door was completely unnoticeable.

It led into a narrow hallway with several sharp turns. Alex looked around him. They were in a mirror maze. The dim light was magnified and it looked like there were many, many more people in the hallway than there actually were. Anyone could have gotten lost down here.

"Nice setup," commented Obi-Wan.

"Thanks. It was Nyra's idea with the mirror maze and the hidden doors. She's the brains of this operation. Notice where the lights are. They are positioned to trick your eyes."

Finally they came to the end and Tet opened up another door. Alex had lost all sense of direction in the tunnel after all those twists and turns. Inside the door was another room with tables and chairs set up and several data screens along the wall.

"Nice and well hidden," said Damar, who hadn't spoken since being underground. "I would have never found this place."

Tet chuckled as he locked the door behind them. He motioned to the chairs. "Have a seat."

They all gratefully sat around the center table. The chairs were comfortable to the weary party. 

"Why don't we all get acquainted." Tet suggested. "Aside from Nyra, I have no idea who you are. I'm sure you know that I am Tet Lunga, leader of the Resistance on Kreon, and owner of Tet's Diner. And who might you be, my Jedi friends?"

"I am Obi-Wan Kenobi."

"General Kenobi!" Tet exclaimed. "The same Kenobi that fought in the Clone Wars?"

Obi-Wan nodded.

Tet gave a low whistle. "I've always admired you. And here you are. It's no surprise to me that you survived Order 66. And who might you be?" he asked, looking at Alex.

"I'm Alex Rider, Master Obi-Wan's new apprentice."

"Wow, his apprentice, eh? How'd that happen?"

"I found him one day," Obi-Wan said before Alex could say anything. "He had demonstrated amazing Force-capabilities, and he had nowhere to go, so I took him in."

"Very interesting. You're lucky to have him as your Master, Alex."

"I know."

"And you, young lady?"

"Damar Lynn."

"She's the real reason we're here," Nyra explained. "She was my cellmate. If these guys hadn't come to rescue her, we wouldn't be here right now."

"Well, it is a pleasure to meet you all."

Tet went on to explain about the Resistance. He told how stormtroopers had taken them all captive at their protest one unfortunate day just over a week ago. Tet hadn't arrived yet when they had been arrested. 

Alex felt tiredness creep into him quickly. He had been running on adrenaline all day, and his eyes were finally getting heavy. It had been a long day. He stifled a yawn.

Tet noticed this, as well as the others' drowsiness. "You must all be very tired. Follow me. I will show you our sleeping quarters down here."

It turned out that one of the mirrors in the hallway was actually another hidden door. Inside were several small chambers with beds.

"Have a good night," he said, closing the door behind him. "You'll be safe down here. It's bomb-proof. I'll come down in the morning to get you."

Alex headed straight for the bed. He never remembered even hitting the pillow.


	15. A Spy Among Us

**A Spy Among Us**

Alex woke the next morning to low voices outside his room. He sat up and saw Obi-Wan and Damar talking quietly in the room outside his quarters. He quickly dressed and joined them.

"Good morning, Alex," Obi-Wan greeted him.

Alex took a seat at the table. "Good morning, Master, Damar," he nodded. She looked much better after a good night's sleep. The life had returned to her bright blue eyes and her long brown hair was combed and neatly tied back.

"We were discussing what we were going to do," Obi-Wan said. "We never actually agreed to help the Resistance. We came here to rescue Damar."

"I see," said Alex. "What do you think we should do?"

"What the Empire really wants are the records I have of all the Jedi still living so that they can track them down and destroy them," Damar said.

Alex nodded.

"So what we need to do is go to my place and get the records and relocate," she concluded.

"But what if they already have the records? I'm sure they've searched your home," Alex asked.

"I doubt they've found them. I've hidden them pretty well."

Just then, Nyra came in and sat down, yawning.

"Good morning, everyone. Tet should be down soon with breakfast. It will be nice to eat on a regular schedule."

As if on cue, the door opened and Tet came in with a tray of steaming food, whistling a nameless tune. "Well, well, well, you're all awake. Did you all sleep well last night?"

"I must say, it was more comfortable than duracrete," Damar commented.

Tet chuckled. "Enjoy your breakfast. I'll be back down in a little while."

When Tet returned, he sent Nyra to look after the restaurant and took the others to the main room of the hideout. "Let's get down to business," he began. "Our Resistance needs help since most of us were captured. The only ones left are Nyra, thanks to you, and me. We desperately need your help and I'm very grateful that you have come."

"Actually," Obi-Wan started, "We came here to rescue Damar and we still have some other business to attend to. Damar and Nyra were in the same cell together so we rescued both of them. We needed a safe place and Nyra took us here. We are very grateful for it, but I am sorry. We cannot join the Resistance."

Tet was quiet for a moment. "I do understand. I guess you never actually agreed to help us. Thank you, though, for rescuing Nyra."

"Thank you for understanding." 

"But could you just help us for today? I've got some problems that I think you could help me with. I promise, you can leave tonight or tomorrow morning."

Obi-Wan considered. He looked at Damar. She nodded, giving her consent. Alex shrugged. He didn't have anything planned.

"I think we can do that," he finally agreed. "We'll do what we can today to help you, but tonight we must leave."

"I truly cannot thank you enough, my Jedi friends. I will be forever in your debt. Let me explain what we are up against." Tet took a deep breath and waited a moment as if wondering where to begin. "The day we were protesting, before I got there, a group of stormtroopers came in and arrested everyone. Sounds logical, right? The Empire doesn't like protesters and, naturally, would arrest them. But what doesn't make sense is the timing of the arrest. Almost as soon as they got there it happened, like they were waiting for them. Do you see? I think there was a leak in security. Somehow, someone got into our systems and found out our plans."

"I see. You want us to look at your security and make improvements?" Obi-Wan guessed.

"Precisely. I know you Jedi are good at that kind of thing."

"We'll see what we can do."

_____________________________________

Alex leaned back in his chair and rubbed his eyes. He had been staring at the datascreen for three solid hours, helping to improve the Resistance security. Nyra had done a good job, but she had overlooked a few places where someone could get in and find out their plans. They must have been careless mistakes.

"Getting anywhere, Alex?" Obi-Wan asked without removing his eyes from his own screen.

"I've found a few things and took care of them. It should help them a little with their security issues."

"Good. Same here."

Nyra came into the room from the restaurant to check on them. "Are you ready for some lunch?" she asked.

"Not quite," Obi-Wan said. "Probably in an hour or so."

"I'll come back to check later then."

She left them to their work and went back.

"I've found something," Damar said when she had left.

"It appears that there a spy in the group that informed the Empire of their plans to protest."

Obi-Wan and Alex rose from their seats to look at Damar's screen.

"Who could it have been?" asked Alex.

"I don't know. I found a message here to the senatorial building dated the day before the arrest. It tells of their plans and says to be ready. It's signed 'SS'."

"Who is 'SS'?" asked Obi-Wan.

"I don't know. You'll have to ask Tet about that."

_____________________________

Nyra came back a while later to take them up to the restaurant to get lunch. They all sat down at a table and ate. After they had finished, Tet came over to their table and sat down.

"How's it going?" he asked. "Any progress?"

"Yes," Obi-Wan replied. "We did find a few places that need improvement and fixed them. Nyra did a great job overall. The only way someone could have found them is if they knew exactly what they were looking for."

"Unfortunately, that's probably what happened," Tet said.

"But everything's fixed now. Anyone could have missed them. They were simple mistakes."

"Hmm. Well, I greatly appreciate your help."

"It's not a problem."

Just then, Nyra's comlink buzzed. She pulled it out. "Excuse me," she said. "I have to take this. It's important." She walked outside to take the call.

"I'm in the mood for a rainberry smoothie for dessert," said Damar.

"What's a rainberry smoothie?" asked Alex.

"Oh, they're really good. You'd like them."

"It's like berries and ice cream, sort of like a milkshake," Obi-Wan whispered to Alex.

"There's a smoothie shop two blocks down," said Tet. He pulled a few credits out of his pocket. "Here, go treat yourselves. You've worked hard."

"Thank you, Tet," they said as they left the restaurant. As soon as the door shut behind them, Obi-Wan leaned in closer. "Is there something else?" Tet asked.

"Tet," he began, "Do you trust everyone in your Resistance group?"

Tet also leaned in closer. "Do I trust everyone? Are you saying that there could have been a spy?"

Obi-Wan nodded gravely. "It's a very real possibility."

"I never thought about that. You could be right."

"In looking over everything, Damar found some things that could very well indicate that there was a spy."

Tet was perplexed. "But who?" He went over each one that had been in the group. Of course they were all trusted. He had done background checks on each one of them.

"Was there anyone in the group with the initials 'SS'?"

"'SS?'" Tet frowned and shook his head. "No, where did you get that from?"

"Damar found a message to the senatorial building from the day before the protest outlining your plans. It was signed with those initials."

Tet looked troubled. He rubbed his chin.

"You said that everyone was captured except yourself, right?"

"That's right. Every last one of them."

"Since you were the only one left, that would lead me to believe that you were the spy and that you started the Resistance to catch others and turn them in."

Tet was stunned. "Me? Preposterous! Anyone who would dream of doing something like that deserves to be fed to a rancor. I hate the Empire! Why would I help them?" he sputtered. "I can see why you would think that, but you have to believe me. I would never even think of doing something so horrible."

Obi-Wan could sense he was telling the truth. But it didn't make sense. All the others had been captured. Nyra had gotten lucky with Damar. "It appears then that the spy was also captured so that all suspicion would be cast on you."

"Apparently. And when he got to prison, he was probably separated from the others."

"But who could it have been?"

Tet again went over the names in his head. There were eight, including himself. There was Nyra. She was so sweet, and had helped in him in so many ways. She was an absolute mastermind with computers and a great thinker, always full of creative ideas. Then there was Samora, who had been a contractor beforehand. He had built the underground hideout that Nyra had planned. There were Tinna and Luna, the brother-sister team who were also computer whizzes. They had come up with all of the false ID docs and disguises. Onfri and Rolando, the Bothans were experts with blaster. Tet had felt much safer when they had joined the group. Lastly, there was little Leela, the orphan girl Onfri had rescued in an alley that had been blasted by stormtroopers.

Tet shook his head. "I honestly don't know. I've done thorough background checks on all of them. None of them have ever given me reason to doubt their allegiance."

"Spies can be like that."

The small alien rolled his yes. "I'm beginning to see that."

____________________________

Nyra pressed the button on her comlink. A hologram of a stormtrooper appeared in her hand. "Are you ready?" she asked.

The stormtrooper saluted. "Yes, ma'am. When do you want us?"

She smiled. "Now would be a good time."

"Yes, ma'am."

"Listen, there are four of them, plus me. I'll be with them. You know me."

He saluted again. "We'll be there shortly."

__________________________________

Nyra returned to the table. Obi-Wan and Tet looked up from their discussion.

She sat down and finished eating her meal. "Mmm. This is delicious. How do you make your food so good, Tet?"

Tet smiled. "I have good help."

She finished in silence. "Where are Alex and Damar?" she asked casually.

Before Tet had time to answer, the door burst open and stormtroopers, blaster raised, charged into the restaurant. "Over there!" one of them pointed to the table that Obi-Wan, Tet, and Nyra sat at.

Nyra groaned. "Not again."

The stormtroopers surrounded the table, weapons pointed directly at them. "Stand up and put your hands above your heads," one ordered. "Now!"

They slowly stood up. Obi-Wan summed up the group. There were about ten of them. Had be been alone, he could have easily disarmed them in a matter of seconds. But there were Tet and Nyra there, as well. One move and blasters would go off, most likely hurting somebody. Besides, if he went along, he might learn something. He was a Jedi: he could easily escape if he had to. He was sure Alex and Damar could take care of themselves. He was confident of Alex's abilities both as a Jedi and as a spy.

_______________________________

Alex and Damar walked back down the street to the diner, smoothies in hand.

"So, you're an orphan, Obi-Wan found you and took you in, and now he's training you?" Damar asked.

"Yes, my parents died when I was very small," Alex replied.

"When did he find you?"

"About a year ago."

"Who took care of you before that?"

"I lived with my uncle, but he was away a lot, so he hired, sort of a live-in nanny to watch over me. She was my best friend."

"What happened that left you alone?"

"They were both killed."

"I'm sorry to hear that."

"And then, Obi-Wan found me and here I am." It was as much as he could tell her. Things would get way too complicated if he explained the whole story: that Obi-Wan was his uncle and that he was from a far-away planet in another galaxy. If he did, she might believe him, but that was beside the point."

"So, what about you?" he asked. He wanted to get off the subject of himself before all the painful memories came back.

"I was brought to the Jedi Temple when I was very young. My parents discovered that I was Force-sensitive and wanted me to be a Jedi. I became a Padawan early on and by the time I was sixteen, I became a Knight. And then the Empire rose to power and the rest is history. I've been in hiding ever since Order 66."

"How did you come to be the record-keeping Jedi? Were you Jacosta Nu's apprentice?"

Jacosta Nu had been the head of the Archives in the Temple. She took her work very seriously, making sure every single holofile and holocron was organized. Obi-Wan had told Alex about her on several occasions.

Damar smiled. "I guess you could say that. I had a master, but I spent all my spare time in the Archives. We became friends. She taught me a lot. She gave me the task of keeping a list of all the Jedi from the past fifty years until now. I compiled a list of all their names, with their date of birth, how old they were when they began training, when they officially became a Jedi Knight, and how and when they died, and their native planets. I thoroughly enjoyed it. It wasn't hard to keep up on, once I had completed it. When things started happening, I fled the Temple and took my records with me and came here."

"Have you been able to keep it up? I know a lot of the Jedi were killed," Alex asked, interested in the topic.

"Somewhat. I've only filled in the ones that have been confirmed dead or alive by reliable sources, meaning that I don't take the Empire's word for it. Most of them I really don't know. I had no idea that Obi-Wan was still alive."

"Are you going to add me to the list?"

Before he got a reply, Alex felt himself being yanked around the corner of a building. Damar motioned for him to be quiet, putting a finger to her lips.

"What is it?" he mouthed.

She pointed in the direction of the restaurant. They cautiously peered around the corner. Just down the street, a large Imperial speeder was parked outside the restaurant. Stormtroopers, about ten or so, were coming out of the diner leading Obi-Wan, Tet, and Nyra prisoners.

"Oh, no," Damar whispered. 

Alex made eye contact with Obi-Wan for a split second, enough for each of them to have seen each other. There was no defeat or failure in his Master's eyes, only confidence and determination that a Jedi has. The look seemed to tell him to be strong.

They stayed hidden until the speeder was out of sight. Suddenly, Damar jumped up.

"Come on!" She started running towards the diner.

"Where?" Alex asked, right behind her.

She stopped beside a parked speeder. "We've got to go to my place, fast. Can you drive one of these?"

Alex nodded. Although his Master had hated it, Obi-Wan had taught him how to fly well.

"Good. I'll tell you how to get there." They took off and zoomed down the street and into the airspace traffic.


	16. Alley Confrontation

**Alley Confrontation**

It was a completely different atmosphere than the restaurant. All sorts of air cars flew along busily in lines in three or four levels, all going to their separate destinations. Alex dodged and weaved his way through at high speed.

"I have to get the records and make sure they're safe," Damar shouted over the roar of the engine. "I know they've been searching for them. Vader wants them in a bad way."

"Why?" Alex asked, shouting just as loudly.

"So he can find the Jedi who are still living and kill them. I hope we don't meet up with him again. I'm surprised he didn't kill me earlier."

"That shouldn't be a problem. Vader left for a while. General Bokra was sent to replace him until he returns."

"That's good to know. For now anyway."

They continued on, Damar giving directions and Alex controlling the careening speeder as fast as it would allow. He was surprising himself with his skill. Presently, they came to a residential section.

"Turn right!" Damar shouted. Alex made a sharp turn, and she grabbed the seat to hold on. "Go right in two streets."

"Weren't we just here?" he asked, slightly confused.

"I'm trying to lose any followers we might have."

Alex shook his head.

"Here we are," Damar said after a few more turns. Alex parked the speeder alongside others similar to it in front of what appeared to be similar to an apartment building.

"Which one's yours?" he asked as they got out.

She pointed down the street. "That way, two blocks. The entrance is in the alley."

Alex rolled his eyes. "Really?" he asked, slightly sarcastically.

"What? I don't want to take any risks."

"They already know where your house is."

Damar thought for a moment. "To be completely honest, I knew that."

"Sure you did."

"But I momentarily forgot it."

Alex laughed.

They quickly walked the rest of the way and turned down the alley.

"Wait here and guard the door. I'll go in and get the records." She unlocked the door and disappeared inside.

Alex hid inside the doorway. He didn't expect anyone to come, but he was ready just in case. He put his hand over his lightsaber hilt and waited, as still as a statue. From his post, he saw something white on the ground in front of him. It looked like a piece of paper. It was the only thing on the black pavement, and stood out starkly. Curious, Alex was just about to go and pick it up when he heard something.

He froze. He heard it again. It sounded like a light footfall of someone trying to sneak up on him very badly. He waited, hand on lightsaber, listening.

Another footfall. He cautiously emerged, To his left there was a man. Without thinking, Alex drew his lightsaber and rushed at him.

The young apprentice's hear skipped a beat. His opponent also had a lightsaber. It was a Sith! He had been following them all along! Alex went at him, calling on the Force to help him. It was his first lightsaber duel. Everything depended on this. He would not let Obi-Wan down.

In his subconscious, Alex noticed something different about the man's fighting style, but he dismissed it as Sith stuff. His opponent was not fighting offensively, just simply deflecting the blows that Alex made in his direction. There were plenty of times where Alex had left himself vulnerable, but the man never took advantage of it. Maybe the Sith were not as dangerous as he had been led to believe. Maybe this one wanted him alive. Alex determined not to let his opponent get him at all.

Left, right, up, down, dodge, duck, parry, thrust. Alex whirled and attacked. His opponent was slowly being backed into a corner. Good. Just flip over him and finish him off.

But as he landed the jump, the man spun around and jabbed him with his elbow. It caught Alex off guard. His lightsaber flew out of his hand and he staggered backward and fell.

His opponent came and stood over him. Alex closed his eyes, cringing, waiting for the killing blow from his opponent's green blade.


	17. Damar and Ferus

**Damar and Ferus**

"You fight well."

Alex slowly opened his eyes. He was still alive! He looked up. The man was holding his hand out to him, offering to help him up. Puzzled, Alex took the hand and stood up. The man held out his lightsaber hilt to him. Alex took it and placed it back on his belt where it belonged.

"You're a Jedi," the man said. "I don't remember you at all. Who are you? I'm looking for Jedi that survived."

"I'm Alex," he said cautiously. "Who are you?"

"I'm Ferus Olin."

Alex's eyes grew wide. Leia's protector. What was he doing here?

Seeing the reaction, Ferus said, "You've heard of me?"

Alex nodded. "Yes. Master Obi-Wan has told me about you."

Ferus smiled and slapped him on the back. "Good old Obi-Wan. He's your master?"

"Yes. He's training me. My parents died and he took me in when he discovered I was Force-sensitive."

"Really? I never would have thought he would have taken on another apprentice after what happened to his last one."

"He has told me about him. He died."

Ferus nodded. "Yeah, he died," he echoed. "So, what brings you to Damar's place?"

"We're looking for the records."

"Same here. Obi-Wan's inside?"

"Ah, no. Damar is."

"She escaped prison?"

Alex nodded. "Master Obi-Wan and I came to rescue her. Her cellmate was Nyra, with the Resistance, you know. She took us to Tet and we stayed the night." He took a deep breath. "Then, today, stormtroopers invaded and took Tet, Nyra, and Master Obi-Wan prisoner. We rushed over here to get the records. And just now, you showed up."

Fer us put his hand on his forehead and turned around. This was incredible. Damar and Nyra had escaped prison. Obi-Wan had a new apprentice and they rescued them. And today, he was captured with the others. And he was in the right place at the right time, just in time to help these young Jedi. He tried to think of a plan. He turned to face Alex.

Just then, the door opened and Damar came out. "Alex, are you all..."

She spotted Ferus.

"Ferus Olin!" she shrieked. She somersaulted through the air and landed behind him, a violet lightsaber in her hand. 

_She must have gotten in when she was in her house_ , Alex thought. He ducked out of the way, not knowing what was happening, leaving her face-to-face with Ferus.

"You left me stranded all by myself on Kashyyyk!" She brought the blade around.

Instantly, Ferus had his lightsaber out once more and blocked her onslaught. 

"All by myself with a bunch of hairy, eight-foot Wookies! I'm five-foot-two!" she continued.

"At least they were friendly," Ferus offered.

"You mean, at least they weren't hungry! And you just disappeared into thin air! It took me two months to get back home"

Ferus ducked as she lashed out again, "Hold on, Shortstuff. I can explain," he pleaded.

"Don't you dare call me 'Shortstuff,' Fatboy!" Damar yelled. "First, you send me on a wild bantha chase looking for a Jedi that I knew was dead. Then, I came back and poof! You and yours had vanished!"

"Damar..."

"You could've at least told me you were leaving." She took a step forward and held her lightsaber at her side, pointing a finger in his face. "I tried calling you on your comlink, but no! You had blocked me. I asked everyone to see if they knew anything. I asked everyone to see if they knew anything. I even checked the airspace records. No record of you leaving. And do you know how dangerous that is? I'm a Jedi! I'm hunted! I could have been..."

"Damar, listen to me. You have every right to be upset. But let me explain. I was working as a double-agent for the Empire, remember? The Emperor summoned me to come immediately and I had to go. If I would have called you or even tried to find you, they would have been suspicious and my life, as well as yours, could have been jeopardized. I am glad you made it back safely."

Damar put her hands on her hips, the one still holding the ignited lightsaber, and gave him a disbelieving look. She could see in his face that he wasn't lying or pulling her leg. But still...

She finally switched her lightsaber off with a sigh. "Oh, fine," she said. She took a few steps toward him and pointed her finger back in his face. "But if you ever do that to me again. I'll...you'll be sorry."

Ferus threw up his hands in surrender. "Whatever you say, Damar, whatever you say."

"I don't get it," said Alex. "Is Ferus safe?"

Damar rolled her eyes. "I guess so. As long as he doesn't leave again."

"I promise, I promise."

Alex was still puzzled.

"Look, he's all right. We just had a little disagreement."

"Okay," he said. "What about the records?"

"Come inside, Alex," she said. "I was just starting to check when I heard you two outside."

Ferus stood with his arms crosses, an amused look on his face. "Aren't you going to invite me in?"

Damar rolled her eyes. "No. Somebody's going to have to stand guard outside."

"Fine."

Alex and Damar entered the small abode and found Damar's datapad. She pecked at the keys and a look of complete perplexity overtook her features.

"What is it?" Alex asked.

"They're gone," she said quietly.

"What? They can't be, can they?"

"Someone came in and removed the chip they were on while I was in prison. I don't believe it. How did they get past the codes? It was completely thief-proof. I was prepared for this and set up pass codes that only I knew. It's impossible."

"Would you have written the codes down anywhere?"

Damar scoffed. "Of course not. They weren't written anywhere. They were in my head." She sighed, frustrated. "Who could have taken them? We have to find a way to get them back. That's like signing a death warrant for the lives of Jedi all over the galaxy!"

"I agree," Alex said.

The two thought in silence for a moment. Something felt off to Alex. He couldn't quite put his finger on it. Then, he remembered something Obi-Wan had taught him many years ago: There are many things that happen that are improbable. But if it is impossible, then it didn't happen. This gave him an idea.

"Damar, look closer at your datapad," he said.

"What? Why?"

"Just do it."

She turned it over in her hands, examining every inch of it. "Hey!" she exclaimed. "This isn't mine! I dropped mine on the edge and there was a crack on the corner of it. This one is perfectly fine. Someone stole mine and replaced it with this one!"

"That means they have the records and are trying to figure them out right now, since they couldn't crack the codes here. You're sure the Empire took it?"

Damar gave him a sarcastic look. That was all the answer he needed.

"Why don't we look around and see if there are any clues as to where we can find it. Maybe one of the guys who took it might have dropped something. I don't really know. Intruders always leave some kind of evidence of their presence. There has to be some kind of clue. We're Jedi: we see things that most people would miss."

They carefully searched the entire house from top to bottom, carefully looking for any sign of evidence. Alex started outside, searching the perimeter of the house, especially the doorways. He walked around, inspecting every inch. Whoever it was had been extremely careful. While searching the bushes next to the entryway, something white blew past him in the breeze. Remembering the white object he had seen earlier, Alex snatched it and unfolded it in his hand. After reading it, he could tell it was probably important.

It was a small piece of paper with some kind of code scrawled on it. He took it to Damar and called Ferus inside.

"Do you have something, Alex?" Damar asked, entering the living room area.

"Yeah, it's a piece of paper with some sort of code written on it."

Ferus took it from Alex. "It definitely means something. What do you think, Damar?" He handed the paper to her. It read:

CELL 3418  
P7916 AND P7924  
SS

Damar thought for a moment. "3418 was my cell number in Zanzibar prison, and 7924 was my prisoner ID. I'm pretty sure 7916 was Nyra's ID, now that I think about it. I don't know what SS means."

"Hey, wait a minute," Alex said. "SS! That was the signature on the message we found at the hideout."

"That's right! There's no doubt now that they are one and the same. But who is 'SS'?"

Ferus took the paper back from Damar. "Do you know what this means? It was planned to put you and Nyra together in a cell."

Alex and Damar both looked up. "Why?" asked Damar. "Why would they put us together? It doesn't make any sense."

"It does if Nyra isn't who she says she is," Alex said thoughtfully.

"What do you mean?" 

"Why else would they plan to put you two in a cell together if it wasn't for their benefit? Maybe it was so Nyra could get information out of you."

"You think she's the spy?" Ferus asked.

"It makes sense. I mean, think about it: Damar was captured because someone found out that she had the records. She ends up in prison, with Nyra, who was conveniently captured because there was a spy in her group. Then, she gets rescued and not twenty-four hours later, the Resistance leader and a Jedi Master who were with her are captured. I don't think that adds up to a simple coincidence. Plus, all the security issues at the hideout were because Nyra missed them. She was the one who set it all up in the first place."

Damar nodded slowly. "You're right. She is the spy. And I'll bet she's the one who sent that message about the Resistance's plans for the protest. But it had to look genuine, so they captured Nyra too, just to preserve her cover. But who is she really? The messages were signed 'SS.'"

"I really don't know. Did you tell her anything in prison?" Ferus asked.

Damar shook her head. "No. She tried, but not very hard. If she was trying to get information, she didn't do a very good job of it."

"Whoever came in here, Nyra is working with them," concluded Alex. "But who could it be? Because if we find them, we find the records."

"It's obviously some hotshot in the Empire," Damar replied.

"Darth Vader," said Alex. Ferus and Damar both looked at him. "When..."

Ferus held up his hand to signal for him to be quiet. 

"What is it?" Damar mouthed.

Ferus searched the room without appearing to do so. He turned back to face the others and mouthed, "Microphone."

Damar nodded knowingly. They followed Ferus outside as quietly as possible.

"I should have known," said Damar. "The house is bugged. They heard us talking."

"We must be extra careful. Damar, how did you get here? Do you have a speeder?"

Damar gave Ferus a deadpan look. "What do you think? We walked here?" She said sarcastically. "Of course I have a speeder. It's parked two blocks that way." She pointed down the road.

"Smart move."

"I'm not stupid, Ferus. I'm a Jedi, too, you know."

Ferus didn't reply.

"What are we waiting for?" asked Alex. "Let's go." He started running in the direction that they had come from. Ferus and Damar followed. They reached the speeder and hopped inside, Damar at the controls.

"So, Mr. Smartypants Olin, what's your plan?" she asked.

Ferus ignored the remark and looked thoughtful. "Alex, why do you think it was Vader?"

"When Obi-Wan and I were on Tatooine, we were in the cantina and this General Bokra came in and was announcing to the whole planet that he was coming to Kreon to deal with a Jedi prisoner, the record-keeping Jedi. That was you, Damar. He was supposedly filling in for Vader while he went on some business for the Emperor."

Ferus was incredulous. He looked at Damar. "You mean Darth Vader was there?"

Damar nodded. "Of course. He interrogated me."

"You were interrogated by Vader and you lived to tell about it?"

She nodded again. "I'm pretty sure he would have killed me if the Emperor wouldn't have summoned him for what must have been this special business."

"Anyway," said Alex, "As soon as we heard that, we booked it over to Kreon to rescue you. We broke into the prison. We found you and Nyra, or whoever she is, was there, so we rescued her, too. We escaped and she told us about the Resistance here and Tet put us up for the night. You know the rest."

"I see," said Ferus thoughtfully. "So you think that this was the important business that Vader was assigned to work on?"

"Who better to take care of the remaining Jedi than a Sith?"

"Well, my guess is that Obi-Wan and Tet are being held at Zanzibar prison. The next closes prison is systems away."

"You're probably right."

"But what about the records?" asked Damar.

"I'll bet that Nyra has them," said Alex. "Think about it: Nyra has been working this all along, plus, she is a data genius. Who else would be working on the codes?"

Damar snapped her fingers. "I think you've got something there, Alex. Tet was always telling us how good she was at technology, wasn't he? I'll bet this Bokra guy has her on it now. Well, now that we know all this, what's our plan?"

Alex looked steadily at the other two. "It means we go to prison," he answered, a grin spreading across his face.


	18. Mind Tricks

**Mind Tricks**

"Go on! Get going!"

Obi-Wan was back at Zanzibar Prison, this time in stuncuffs and escorted by stormtroopers. The guards prodded them across the lowered bridge over the moat and up to the large double doors that were now opened and into the main entrance. 

A rather pompous-looking man came out to meet them. "Well, well, well. What have we here?"

Obi-Wan recognized him as General Bokra from the cantina. Here to replace Vader, obviously.

"Prisoners, sir," said the stormtrooper. "Resistance fighters."

Bokra came close to look them over. He paused at Obi-Wan. The Jedi fixed his gaze straight ahead, refusing to look him in the eye.

"Well, a Jedi," he said. An evil smile spread over his lips. "Splendid. I must say, you've come to the right place."

That brought a hard look from Tet. Bokra turned to Nyra. "And Miss Synde Sauro, you have done extremely well. Your father will be pleased. Guards, remove her stuncuffs. They aren't proper for a lady."

'Nyra' turned to Tet, who wore an incredulous look. 

"Well, Tet, this is where we part ways," she sneered.

"You're the spy!" he hissed, struggling against the stormtrooper's hold on his shoulder. "You never were our friend! You're a traitor! A dirty, no-good traitor!"

Nyra slapped him across the face. "I wouldn't talk that way to Senator Sauro's daughter if I were you."

Obi-Wan knew the name: Senator Sano Sauro. He had been a senator in the days of the Republic, but not anymore. Now, he was following Palpatine, and was one of his most trusted advisers. Obi-Wan had known the former senator since his days as a padawan under Qui-Gon Jinn, and had developed a strong dislike for him. He had been shady and corrupt, and other times, just plain rude. He knew how to get what he wanted, which usually was not good, and he always got it. He was never caught because he also knew how to cover his tracks so no one would ever find out. The rest of the Senate was usually too busy to investigate him, anyway. They had more important things to do, and the investigation would get lost in bureaucracy and dozens of subcommittees.

"You're just like him!" Tet spat.

"Why, thank you, Tet. I always wanted to be like my father."

Tet gave her a murderous look. "That was not a compliment."

"Guards!" Bokra ordered. "Take these men to their cells."

The guards roughly escorted them down the corridor. They stopped at the turbolift and got in. The guard pressed a button. The lift started moving down, not up. Obi-Wan found this interesting. Apparently, there were cells in the sub-levels. Maybe the other Resistance fighters would be there, too.

The door hissed open and the group stepped out into the corridor. These cells were worse than the ones that Damar had been in. These cells were danker and darker than the ones he had seen previously. A single bare bulb glowed dimly in each hallway. They were also more heavily guarded. The more "dangerous" criminals were kept here. Escape seemed impossible.

Tet was deposited in a cell and the door hissed shut behind him. Obi-Wan was led to a cell across the way and also tossed in. He heard the door close and lock behind him. He was left alone.

_____________________________

Obi-Wan heard his cell door open before he knew what it was. He didn't know what time it was, but it felt like it was the middle of the night. A bright light shone in his face. Obi-Wan squinted and put his hand in front of his face to shield his eyes from the intense light.

"Come on, get up!" Did the guards always have to be so demanding? Someone should tell them that they didn't really sound all that threatening.

He got up from the cold metal floor and walked out the door. They put the stuncuffs back on his wrists. A guard shoved a blaster in his face.

"Go!"

Where? Obi-Wan peered down the hallway and saw Tet with two other guards. That's where. What was going on? A trial? If it was, it sure would not be a fair one. And why the middle of the night?

They joined the group. Tet saw Obi-Wan and game him a solemn glance. They were escorted outside where the bridge had been lowered across the moat On the other side, a large starship was waiting.

The realization hit Obi-Wan like a rock. It was a prisoner transport. They were being taken somewhere else.

Synde Sauro and General Bokra were waiting on the ship. Synde gave Tet a wicked smile. "How nice to see you again. Ready to go to Dontamo?"

Dontamo.

The most feared prison of all. Dontamo was where the biggest enemies of the Empire went. Resistance leaders, Jedi, most likely, along with the truly dangerous criminals of the galaxy, were there. Rumor had it that escape was impossible. The only escape was waiting for execution or death by lethal injection.

But then again, thought Obi-Wan, Ferus Olin had escaped, hadn't he? He may have receive Jedi training, but he had never even become a Knight. Obi-Wan was both a Knight and a Master. That thought gave him a little more hope. This wouldn't be the end of Obi-Wan Kenobi. He set his face in firm resolve as they were led to the prison block under the main deck.

He could always escape before they arrived, couldn't he? "A way out, there always is," Master Yoda would say. He would definitely keep his eyes open for an opportunity.

The hull of the starship held about one hundred prison cells, about half of which were occupied. Good, thought Obi-Wan. Prisoner transports never arrived at a prison half-empty. There would be another stop. A chance for escape.

___________________________________________

Alex lay flat on the ground in the forest surrounding Zanzibar Prison, the same spot where he and Obi-Wan waited just a day and a half ago, on their way to rescue Damar. To Alex, it seemed like an eternity ago. Now he was here to rescue Obi-Wan.

It was several hours before daybreak. Kreons four moons shone brightly in the sky. They had decided to wait to check out the prison until now. It was the time of day when the prison was least busy. Alex had been unanimously elected to go spy it out and find where Obi-Wan and Tet were. He was to rescue them if possible, but most likely he would have to report back and Ferus and Damar would come and help him infiltrate the prison. They were waiting close by with two speeders, ready to pick them up.

Here he was again. A spy. But this time, it was different. He was a Jedi spy, which was ten times cooler than the spy he had been before. It gave him more confidence to carry out his mission. Alex had come a long way. He didn't feel like he had to be normal because no on in this galaxy was 'normal.' Everyone and everything here was different. And in the middle of the Tatooine desert, he and Obi-Wan were normal together. They were doing what they were meant to do: help save the galaxy. This was just not the way they were supposed to go about it.

And he had met two more Jedi. How many more were there if they were supposedly wiped out? Could they be the only four left? Were there more? Alex was finding that the galaxy was a big place. There could be more hiding anywhere.

But then again, that's why they wanted the records. To find out where those surviving Jedi were. And that's why Alex was here: to rescue Obi-Wan before Damar had another Jedi to add to her list of those that were missing.

The prison was more heavily guarded since Damar had escaped, especially for the time of night. There were now six guards at the door instead of two. He was trying to figure out a way to get in. He couldn't do what he had done before -- there were less of him and more of them. He couldn't just start swinging his lightsaber and kill them all. That would just bring the rest of the army outside to him, and Alex wasn't about to get captured. It was unnecessary.

He lay for several minutes, pondering the situation. Then he heard something. He looked in the direction of the sound.

Well, if today wasn't his lucky day. There were two stormtroopers making their rounds around the perimeter of the forest. Alex grinned to himself. He had an idea.

He silently moved into a crouching position, waiting. The troopers passed him. He waited till they were several meters away.

Alex snapped his fingers. Using the Force, he pushed the sound a few meters behind where he was currently hiding. It was a technique he had taught himself in his spare time.

His trick worked. The stormtroopers stopped and immediately turned around, pointing their blasters in the direction of the sound. When they saw nothing, one motioned for the other to go check it out.

Perfect. The one kept walking and rounded the bend up ahead. He was out of sight. The other turned around and headed back Alex's direction. Alex snapped again, this time making the sound come from just inside the forest. The stormtrooper came into the woods, pushing branches out of the way. He passed the bush Alex was crouched behind.

Alex called on the Force. He leaped out of his hiding place. He grabbed the stormtrooper by the shoulders and threw him flat on his back. The trooper went down without a sound, dazed. It had all happened so fast.

Alex bent over him. "You will tell me what has become of the prisoners that were captured yesterday," he said in a low voice with a wave of his hand.

"I will tell you what has become of the prisoners that were captured yesterday," the stormtrooper droned, still dazed.

Stormtroopers were so easy. They had such weak minds. "Go on, I'm listening.

"First, they were taken to the underground level. Then, about a half an hour ago they were put on a prisoner transport to Dontamo."

"Was the girl who was the spy with them?"

"Yes, and General Bokra, too. They're stopping at Altoon 5 to get more prisoners."

"What about the other Resistance fighters that were captured last week?" Alex probed even further.

"They are still here in the sub-level. They are scheduled to be executed tomorrow."

Great. Now he had to break into prison and catch an Imperial starship in the same night.

"You will forget you ever met me," Alex said, waving his hand again.

"I will forget I have ever met you."

"It was nothing you heard. You just tripped."

"It was nothing I heard," he repeated. "I just tripped." The stormtrooper got himself up off the ground and headed back to his colleague.

"What happened back there?" Alex heard the other ask.

"It was nothing. I just tripped."

Good answer.

Alex pulled out his comlink Wait until Ferus hears this.


	19. Breaking Out...and In

**Breaking Out. . . and In**   
  
  


"Dontamo."

Even through the small holoprojection Alex held in his hand, Ferus said the word with utter disgust and contempt. With his line of work that he had been in, he had been a guest in several Imperial prisons. Dontamo had been the worst by fat.

"The Resistance fighters are scheduled to be executed tomorrow," Alex added.

Ferus thought for a moment, weighing the situation. "We've got to rescue them, that's for sure. Wait there. Try to figure a way to get in. We'll be right there."

_____________________________________

Obi-Wan felt the transport land. He patiently waited for quite a while. When it came to waiting, Obi-Wan was well-trained. As a young padawan, he had hated waiting. Patience was a vital part of being a Jedi. Without it, it was too easy to act too early or move too soon.

He heard the turbolift door open. Prisoners shuffled into the room, escorted by barking stormtroopers. Their faces looked ragged and worn. How many of these were truly guilty criminals? A very small number, Obi-Wan guessed.

The guards worked their way down the cell block, dropping prisoners in their cells. Obi-Wan stood with his back against the wall, arms crossed in front of him, looking as nonchalant as he watched the scene around him.

A guard opened up the cell across from Obi-Wan. He stuck the datacard key in the card reader. The door opened, and the key was stuck into a back pocket. The Jedi reached out with the Force and concentrated on the key in the guard's pocket. The small piece of plastoid appeared out of his pocket and whipped through the air into Obi-Wan's hand.

"Get in there!" The guard shoved the prisoner. He fell down, weak from days already spent in prison. The guard became angry.

Good. That would keep him busy for a while.

Obi-Wan reached around the cell bars and slid the card in the reader. It beeped quietly and the door slipped open noiselessly. He stepped out, closing the door and slid the card back into the guard's pocket without his ever knowing what had happened. He was too busy beating the prisoner.

Obi-Wan Kenobi ran down the cell block, his brown boots making no sound, and reached the end before his absence was even discovered. He turned the corner and stopped to pull himself flat against the wall, listening and feeling.

All of the guards were busy with the prisoners. He had timed his escape perfectly. He continued on, heading for the turbolift that would take him to the main deck of the transport.

He took the lift up and the doors hissed open at the top. There were no guards in sight. Obi-Wan headed straight for the VIP quarters of the ship and Synde Sauro's room. He paused outside the door, feeling with the Force for any presence in the room.

When he felt nothing, he tried the door. It was unlocked. He cautiously opened it. The room was deserted. She and Bokra were probably out negotiating payment with the prison heads. Quickly, he searched the room. He had been thinking about the whole situation since he was arrested, finally figuring that there must be something here that he can use to his advantage. Probably his lightsaber if he guessed right. But he saw something else. Hidden under a stack of papers, was a datapad. He examined it. On the bottom of the case, he saw the initials 'DL.' This must be Damar's records! He snatched up the datapad, and saw his lightsaber hilt right next to it, along with his comlink. Grabbing both, he went to leave, but heard voices.

Obi-Wan plastered himself against the wall behind the door, waiting and listening.

"I'm on my way to get the bomb," said someone in the corridor. It sounded like Synde Sauro.

"Good. When we land, I'll conveniently forget to let off the Jedi and the Resistance leader, and then the transport will explode from a hyperdrive malfunction, and then that will be the end of them." It was General Bokra.

"I'm going to the engine room now to plant it."

"Very good. I like it. Nice and clean."

Obi-Wan waited, holding his breath There would be a bomb, wouldn't there. He had to act fast when they landed. He attached his lightsaber and comlink to his belt where they belonged and exited the office. He heard the sound of marching.

Great. Battle droids. He was beginning to wonder if they were out of commission. He had only seen stormtroopers so far. He ducked inside a room, but not before he had been spotted. The droids, programmed to shoot anything wearing white armor or Imperial insignia,raised their blaster and began firing the red energy bolts at him.

Blasterfire pinged around him as he fled down the corridor, blue lightsaber flying, deflecting bolts that came near him. Obi-Wan ducked around the corner. The blasterfire continued. Droids were so stupid. What were they thinking? Did they think their shots could turn corners?

He raised his lightsaber, ready to charge them, but his instincts said to way.

Suddenly, the firing stopped.

Obi-Wan sensed a presence behind him. He turned around and looked up. There, on the second floor, was General Bokra, looking down on him from the balcony with an evil grin on his face and a large gun pointed straight at him.

Stormtroopers appeared at each of the doorways above and below, each of their weapons pointed at him.

Obi-Wan kept his lightsaber at the ready.

"You might as well give up, Obi-Wan Kenobi," Bokra announced. "You're surrounded."

"Jedi don't surrender," he returned calmly, yet defiantly.

Bokra shrugged. "Have it your way. Guards!" he ordered. "Take him to the data center." He looked at Obi-Wan. "I have something for him to do."

Two guards stepped forward, blasters still trained on him.

Obi-Wan deactivated his lightsaber with a snap-hiss. He had no choice but to follow.

The data center turned out to be just that: a large room used for analyzing and processing information. There were several operators seated, busily entering all the prisoner transfer information from the ones that had just been picked up. They were dismissed as Obi-Wan and his escorts entered the room.

At one particular chair was Tet in stuncuffs. A guard stood over him.

"Stand by him!" the guard ordered. Obi-Wan obeyed.

Several minutes later, Synde Sauro appeared, wearing a smug look. "I knew you would try to escape," she said. "You Jedi are so predicable. But this time, I set it up to make it easy. You think you're so smart. Well, this is one person who's smarter. My father couldn't outsmart you Jedi, but he came close." She pointed her finger in his face. "And let me tell you, I've learned from his mistakes. I've already beaten you once. You're in prison now, Obi-Wan Kenobi. And don't look past me just because I'm not a Jedi." She put her hand inside her jacket and pulled out a cylindrical object and held it up for him to see. "I can use a lightsaber."

Obi-Wan kept his expression neutral. "Fascinating," he said without changing the emotion in his voice. "So can I."

"I learned from General Bokra," she continued, trying to taunt Obi-Wan. "He used to be a Jedi, too, you know. Before your time, of course. But he left the Order before he became a Knight. Said he wasn't being treated fairly or something like that."

Bokra? A Jedi? That raise questions in Obi-Wan's mind. Judging from his appearance, he was a good ten to fifteen years older than Obi-Wan. It was possible. But he never became a Knight, so he couldn't be that good. It was certain that he didn't use the Force. Obi-Wan could sense as much.

"Well, hand the records over," she said.

Obi-Wan almost completely forgot that he held the datapad. He hesitated for a moment, then handed it to her. Synde snatched it out of his hands greedily and set it on the desk.

"I want you to break these codes and access the records, Jedi, before we reach Dontamo." She ignited the red lightsaber in her hand and held the glowing blade under Tet's chin. He winced from the heat, but otherwise remained still. "Or Tet here will say goodbye to life." She withdrew the blade and put it away. She turned to leave and said with a wicked laugh, "Good luck. You'll need it. Or what is it that Jedi say? Oh, yes. May the Force be with you." She snickered as she closed the door.

_____________________________________________

Ferus and Damar joined Alex in the forest. They crept up quietly behind him. Alex was crouched down, one hand under his chin, staring intently at the prison. He looked as Ferus and Damar approached.

"Got something figured out?"

Alex didn't answer immediately. "I think so," he said at last.

The two stormtroopers marched, or rather, walked their rounds around the perimeter of the forest, blasters cradled in each of their arms. Apart from one of them tripping in the woods, it had been an uneventful night. It always way. Only crazy people thought they could break out of prison. Even if they did make it out of their cell, there was no way they would make it to the forest. They would be shot down first. Only a Jedi had succeeded.

But there were few Jedi left, if any. Sure, a couple of them had broken in and rescued the other, only because security had been loose. But since then, security had been tripled. Not even a Jedi could break out...or in. The only way out was execution or a free ride to another prison.

Nevertheless, walking the perimeter in the wee hours of the morning was still boring. They had taken their job seriously at first, but now after two years of doing the exact same thing night after night, it was time for a change of pace. Besides, they had never seen anyone in making their rounds.

But tonight would be different.

_____________________________________

"Alright, here they come," whispered Alex.

The stormtroopers, completely oblivious, walked closer and closer.

"One, two," Ferus counted, "Now!"

They sprang out of their hiding place and directly into the path of the stormtroopers and started swinging.

Alex took on one. He put his fists up. Even through the expressionless helmet, it was evident that he was surprised. He fumbled for his blaster. Alex pivoted on his heel and delivered a neat kick to his midsection. The stormtrooper double over in pain and surprise. Alex lashed out with his foot again, catching the trooper under his chin. He fell over backwards, unconscious.

Ferus had his opponent on the ground, also unconscious.

A slow clapping was heard behind them. They both turned to see Damar approaching from the woods. "Very nice, boys," she praised them sarcastically. "I think I'll keep you around for a while.


	20. Resistance Reunion

**Resistance Reunion**

The six guards at the prison gate stood perfectly still, the light from Kreon's four moons reflecting off their white armor, making them look like strange little toy soldiers.

"Somebody's coming," one said. He pointed across the moat. He raised his blaster. "Who's there?"

"We have a prisoner," came the reply. "We caught this one hiding in the woods."

"Very well," the guard replied. "Lower the bridge! They have a prisoner."

The bridge creaked as it was laid across. The two stormtroopers marched over; one with a blaster muzzle to the prisoner's back, prodding.

"Very good, soldier."

"Where shall we take the prisoner?"

"Put the prisoner in the sub-level holding cells. The General doesn't tolerate snoopers."

The large double-doors opened, and they disappeared inside. Once inside, Alex breathed a sigh of relief. His plan had worked. "How do we get to the sub-levels?" he whispered, even though he was sure nobody was around.

Damar pointed discreetly, lifting one finger. "There. Turbolift."

"Come on! Get going!" Ferus shouted, trying to look genuine.

"Ow!" Damar pretended to stumble, then headed to the turbolift.

So far, so good, Alex thought. This is working great. The doors hissed open when they reached the basement. It was deserted of guards.

Ferus and Alex peeled off their helmets and set them down. Alex was glad to be rid of it. It was stuffy and hard to see through.

Ferus started down the cellblock. Alex stood still, thinking. When Ferus noticed Alex wasn't following, he also stopped.

"What is it?" he asked.

"I felt something," he said. "A familiar presence. Obi-Wan's been here. Recently."

Ferus and Damar felt it as well. "Yes, he has. He must have been put here, then transported to Dontamo. We must have just missed him. We have to hurry."

Ferus continued on, going from cell to cell, searching for the others. Most prisoners were sleeping or in some sort of trance, far away in their own imaginary worlds, trying to block out the depressing reality of prison.

As Ferus passed by one cell, the occupant looked up at him. "Ferus? Ferus Olin?"

Ferus stopped. He had almost missed him. "Samora? Is that you?"

The man leaped to his feet. "Have you come to rescue us?"

"Yes. Where are the others?"

"They are all down here."

"Good," he said. "Stand back. I'm going to open the door." He pulled out his lightsaber to cut the door open.

"Yes!" Samora cried joyfully. "I'm free!"

"Not quite," Ferus droned.

Samora led them to the others' cells. Soon they were all free -- Samora, Tinna, Luna, Rolando, Onfri, and Leela. The group gathered around the three Jedi.

"Who are these guys, Ferus?" Luna asked.

"No time for introductions. We have to get out of here. Alex, lead the way out of here. I'll bring up the rear." 

Alex nodded and took off down the corridor, with the small group following closely behind. They came to the corner and Alex held up a hand to stop. He and Damar peered around the corner. They had just reached the main floor after the turbolift. Droids were positioned along the cell block, each one a mirror image of the next, blasters in hands.

"Those weren't there before," whispered Alex.

Damar shook her head. "We'll just have to take them out."

They returned to Ferus who was waiting with the group. 

"There are a bunch of battle droids positioned down the hallway," Alex explained.

Ferus looked at Onfri and Rolando, the two Bothans towering over him.

"We got this," Onfri said. "Just cover us with your blasters." 

Ferus nodded in agreement, and the two charged around the corner.

"Stay back," he told the others. He and Alex also ran around the corner. Using the blasters they had taken from the stormtroopers, they covered the two Bothans, who were smashing the droids to bits with their huge fists. Their efforts were hardly needed.

"Alex, tell the others to come on," Ferus said as the last droid fell. "Tell them to grab a blaster." He pointed to the droids.

Alex ran back down around the corner where the others were waiting. "Come on," he said. "Everyone grab a blaster from the droids."

They followed Alex and snatched up the weapons.

"We better go before they sound the alarm," said Alex when they had reached Ferus. "Soon they'll figure out what happened to the stormtroopers and droids, if they haven't already."

"Is there another way out?" asked Damar.

Samora pointed down to the opposite end of the corridor. "We could try the window."

Just then a half a dozen stormtroopers burst through the large double doors, blasters blazing.

"Looks like they called in reinforcements," Alex observed.

"The window it is, then," said Ferus. "Run!"

They all took off, shooting behind them at advancing stormtroopers. The Jedi had their lightsabers out, deflecting the red energy bolts that came close. Alex, lightsaber in hand was busily deflecting blaster bolts. He felt the Force flow through him. It hummed around him. He wasn't thinking about what he was doing, just acting. Damar alongside him was deflecting the ones he missed, reading his movement and complementing them to block the bullets. It felt great, despite the circumstances. He weaved and dodged and deflected with his glowing green blade. He would protect those behind him and they would escape. He heard the sound of breaking glass behind him and knew that the window was open.

"Alex! Damar!" Ferus shouted. "I know you're having fun over there, but it's time to go! I'll cover you."

In one quick movement, Damar was through. Alex followed. They joined the others on the ground. 

Alex heard more fire from the window and hoped Ferus would make it through.

Damar, seeming to read his mind, said, "Don't worry about him. He'll make it. He always does."

A few seconds later, Ferus appeared at the window. Just as he was about to jump down, a bolt caught him in the back of his shoulder. He twisted and half-fell, half-jumped to the ground.

"Ferus! You're hit!" exclaimed Alex.

Ferus struggled to stand up, clutching his wounded shoulder with the opposite hand. 

The stormtroopers appeared at the window. The Bothans raised their blasters and took them out. Soon, all was quiet.

"I'm fine," Ferus assured him. "Keep moving. It won't be quiet for long. We can lower the bridge and get across."

The front doors were deserted. The six stormtroopers who had been guarding it obviously had gone inside to chase them down. Perfect.

They lowered the bridge and raced across. They did not stop running until they had reached the safety of the woods.

_____________________________

Obi-Wan was thinking hard and fast, but not about the records. He had to come up with something.

"I knew you would escape from there," said Tet, trying to be optimistic. "You're smarter than they are. I don't care what that Sauro girl thinks. It's not like we could exactly escape right now. They've already taken off. Our chance is when we land."

Obi-Wan's mind drifted back to his thoughts when he was in the cell down below. "No," he said slowly, "But we could hijack this rig."

Tet's head shot up. "Really?" he said in surprise. "I think you could do it. Do you still have your lightsaber?"

The Jedi's hand flew to his belt. It was still there. With his lightsaber, that opened up a lot of possibilities.

The Resistance leader smiled. "Come on. Let's go."

"Wait, I have an idea," he said. He sat down at the datapad.

"Do you think you could take these stuncuffs off first? They're a little uncomfortable."

"Most definitely." He ignited his lightsaber and the cuffs were off in a second. He sat back down in front of the datapad.

"What are you doing?" Tet asked.

"Maybe I could access these records, then destroy them."

"Not trying to burst your bubble, but she'll kill you."

"Not if she doesn't know I accessed them."


	21. The Black Truth

**The Black Truth**

Alex watched Kreon disappear the window of the starfighter. He, Ferus, and Damar had picked up three starfighters and were on their way to rescue Obi-Wan. The other Resistance fighters were safely hidden in an underground blast-proof emergency hideout, far away from the previous one. Damar had Alex a quick lesson on piloting the starfighter before leaving. Soon, they would make the jump to hyperspace and be at Dontamo in no time. 

Alex looked ahead and saw several large circular objects ahead. Those must be the hyperspace units for the starfighters. Damar had explained that the smaller, fighter-style ships had external hyperdrives. This made the ships faster and more agile when fighting. He was almost there.

They were going to rescue Obi-Wan. His master. His friend. His uncle.

Alex caught himself. He rarely ever thought of Obi-Wan as his uncle anymore. It's not like anyone knew they were related anyway. So much had transpired since that day when the police visited Alex's house at three in the morning to inform him that Ian Rider was dead. Alex smiled to himself. He had realized so many times that then, he hardly known Ian Rider. He thought he did, but he had hardly scratched the surface. Even after he knew all about MI6 and his work as a spy, he still didn't know him at all.

But he knew Obi-Wan Kenobi. He knew what he liked, what he disliked. He even knew about his true line of work -- Jedi in hiding, not that you could truly call that a line of work, -- and was actually on a mission with him to rescue Jedi. A mission that he himself needed rescuing from.

They linked to the hyperspace units and disappeared at the speed of light. Almost simultaneously, they jumped to hyperspace. The millions of stars that littered the night sky became a single blur of light surrounding Alex's ship. He was on the way.

Something welled up inside Alex. He would get his uncle back. No one would stop him now, not even Darth Vader himself.

But then again, Darth Vader hadn't shown ups, so he wasn't a problem. Not yet, anyway. 

__________________________

Darth Vader strode down the corridor of his Imperial star destroyer, his black cape billowing behind. He entered the nav room. "How soon will we reach Dontamo?" he demanded. He was in his usual black mood.

The captain was nervous, though he was trying not to show it. He feared Vader. He tried his best to never do anything to displease him. He had seen firsthand those who hadn't.

"About an hour, s-sir," he replied, sweating slightly, silently chiding himself for stuttering.

"Good. I will be in my quarters. Do not disturb me. I will return before we land."

"Yes, sir," the captain replied. He was relieved when the Sith Lord turned on his heel and left the way he came. He breathed a sigh of relief.

Vader traveled back down the gray hall to his quarters. This prison, Dontamo, had been erected about three years earlier. He hadn't made it to that part of the galaxy to check it out yet. He had been informed that a prisoner transport would be arriving at about the same time as he.

His comlink buzzed. He released it from his belt and, if he could show emotion, gave it an angry glare. He wasn't in the mood to talk to anyone. He pressed the button reluctantly. A small holoprojection of General Bokra appeared in his hand.

"What is it, General?" he demanded, trying very hard to let his annoyance come through in his voice.

"I am on the prisoner transport heading to Dontamo, and we have a couple special guests aboard."

"Who are they?"

"One is the resistance leader from the planet Kreon, and the other is a Jedi."

"Good," he said, ending the conversation. He was slightly less annoyed now. Another Jedi. Well wasn't this just galactic. Someone hadn't carried out Order 66 very thoroughly. Maybe it was...no. He would find out when he arrived who it was. It was no use trying to figure it out now. Then, he would kill this Jedi, take the records and find all the rest of the few living Jedi.

Then they would be dead Jedi.

___________________________________

Soon, they pulled out of hyperspace. Dontamo loomed in front of them.

"All right, Obi-Wan, here we come," Alex said to himself.

A red dot appeared on the nave screen behind the green dots that were the starfighters. Alex tapped the red dot on the screen. A figure of a large ship showed on the screen, along with information about it.

"Oh great," he said. It was an Imperial star destroyer. He watched the screen. It didn't appear to be following them, but it was heading for Dontamo. "Imperial star destroyer on the radar," he announced over the comm. 

"That's one of the biggest star destroyers I've ever seen," noted Damar.

"Uh, oh," Ferus said. "It's Vader's. He's heading to Dontamo."

"That can't be good," Alex said. His mind was racing. No. Not Vader. He'll kill Obi-Wan! "We've got to stop him! Somehow!"

"Are you crazy, kid? We're talking about a star destroyer, the biggest spacecraft out there. Not happening," Damar reminded him.

Ferus was also thinking hard. "And if we don't succeed and Vader catches us, we'll all be dead, which is exactly what he wants. Obi-Wan will definitely be the first to go, then me."

"Why Obi-Wan?" Alex queried. Maybe it was because Obi-Wan had been on the council.

"How much do you know about Darth Vader?" asked Ferus. "What did Obi-Wan tell you?"

"Well," Alex began, "He's a fallen Jedi, he's the same age as Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan's former apprentice, who he killed."

"That's what he told you?"

Alex didn't answer. The wheels were turning is his mind. Something was up. "There's something more, isn't there?"

There was silence for a few seconds.

"Darth Vader _is_ Anakin Skywalker."


	22. Cracking Codes

Cracking Codes  
  
  


Obi-Wan almost had it. With the Force to guide him, he was almost finished with the codes on Damar's datpad. Most likely no one else could have broken them. Like all over Jedi, he had been trained in code breaking. He had never been the best at at it, but he was still better than most. At times like this, his training came in really handy.

"There!" he announced, satisfied with his work. "Got it."

Tet jumped up. "Did you find the records?" he whispered excitedly, keeping his voice in check. He stood over Obi-Wan, trying to see the screen.

Obi-Wan angled it away from him. "Don't look. I don't want you to get killed."

Tet nodded and backed down. "I understand."

Obi-Wan scrolled through the holofiles of Jedi he had known. If the Empire had found these, they would have been disappointed. Most of them Obi-Wan knew were dead. Others had been rumored dead.

He searched for "YODA." The screen flashed "LOCATION UNKNOWN." Obi-Wan knew where Yoda was. He was safely exiled in the Dagobah system, hidden deep in the swamps. He typed in "ANAKIN SKYWALKER," and waited, holding his breath. The screen flashed, "DEAD." Apparently, Damar thought Vader had killed him. The less she knew, the better.

He searched his own name. It came up, "LOCATION UNKNOWN." The same with Ferus Olin. He typed in Alex's name and it came up, "MATCH NOT FOUND."

All of the Jedi that were known to be dead were listed as such in the system. None of them had known locations that would help the Empire. This list was useless to them.

He memorized what information he could use and took out his lightsaber. He ignited it and held the hilt above his head, blue blade pointing down. He touched the tip of it to the datapad and held it there. The datapad started melting from the heat. The datapad started melting from the heat. The hold grew, and soon the datapad was nothing more than a pile of twisted, melted metal.

Obi-Wan put his lightsaber away and looked at Tet, who was staring wide-eyed at what had been the datapad. "What was that for?" he asked.

"Self destruct."

Tet smiled. "Very clever."

__________________________________

Alex was stunned. There was silence over the comm for a few seconds.

"Anakin Skywalker is Darth Vader?" he said when he finally found his voice.

"What?!" exclaimed Damar.

"How?"

Ferus sighed sadly. "He turned to the dark side. He got bitter at the Jedi, at Obi-Wan. He was good friends with Palpatine before the rise of the empire. Palpatine deceived him into accepting the Sith teachings. He was the one that Palpatine revealed his true identity to."

"Why didn't he kill him?" asked Damar.

"Palpatine wanted him as an apprentice, and Anakin was the Chosen One, the one who was supposed to bring balance to the Force. He was the best swordsman anyone had ever seen and he was a brilliant Jedi, but he was emotionally unstable. That made him fair game to Palpatine, and he was able to sway Anakin to the dark side easily."

"How?" Alex asked again.

"I'm not exactly sure. You'll have to ask Obi-Wan on that, Alex."

"So, he was deceived by Palpatine. When he discovered he had been tricked, why didn't he turn back?"

"It was too late. He is Darth Vader, and Palpatine is his master. From what I can gather, Palpatine saved his life after he and Obi-Wan had an intense lightsaber duel. Anakin was trying to kill his own Master. Obi-Wan wanted to protect Anakin from himself. That's why he wears that black suit. He doesn't think of himself of Anakin Skywalker. He tries to kill his memory of his own identity. But that is something he can never fully do."

Now Alex understood Obi-Wan's pain. His own apprentice, the Chosen One, suddenly turns and is his enemy and tries to kill him.

And he was about to do it again, unless they could stop him.

_________________________________

Obi-Wan felt the transport land. They had arrived on Dontamo.

The door opened and Synde came in. "All right, Jedi. Let's see the records."She stopped and stared at the pile of molten metal on the table."What is that?"

"It self-destructed when I got the passcode wrong the second time," Obi-Wan said calmly.

Synde rushed to the table and frantically rummaged through the pieces. "No! It can't be! I don't believe you!" she shrieked.

"You better believe it," Tet said. "I saw it before my very own eyes. It burst into flames."

She turned to Tet, eyes full of rage. "Shut up." She reached to her hip and pulled out a blaster. Synde put it up to Tet's face, seething with anger. "You see this? It will be the last thing you'll see, Tet Lunga." She started to squeeze the trigger.

Obi-Wan lunged at her, knocking her off her feet and sent the blaster flying. "Tet, run!" he yelled as he ignited his lightsaber.

Synde was back on her feet in an instant, her lightsaber also in hand. "All right, Jedi. Let's fight."

Obi-Wan sized her up. Though she wasn't Force-sensitive, a former Jedi had trained her and he could not underestimate her.

They came at each other, blades clashing in a blue-and-red 'X,' sizzling and crackling.

He whirled around and struck out. She dodged it and cut the blade across to his middle. He deflected it and somersaulted over her head, out the door.

Surprise was evident in her eyes. She had not been expecting that. She whirled around and followed him through the door.

This is not going to be easy, Obi-Wan thought.

____________________________________

Ferus, Alex, and Damar were crouched behind a pile of boxes outside the prison gates, watching the line of prisoners and stormtroopers coming off of the transport. they had landed their starfighters , hidden behind a hill and had come up to the prison.

"I don't see Obi-Wan or Tet," Damar said.

"Me neither," said Alex.

"That's the last of them," Ferus said when the stream of prisoners ended. "They must still be on the transport. Let's sneak aboard."

They emerged from their hiding place and cautiously and quietly ran to the transport. the ramp was still down and they made it on without detection. All of the guards were busy with the prisoners.

"Where could they be?" whispered Damar.

"They're on the next level," Alex said. "I can feel it."

Ferus looked at Alex. "Very good, Alex. Lead the way."

________________________________________

Obi-Wan was wearing her out. He could see that. For not being Force-sensitive, she was exceptionally good. She handled her lightsaber well. But she was not as good as a Jedi.

Bokra had trained her well. Obi-Wan had guessed that was not his real name. But then again, he didn't know of all who had left the Order, especially before his time. It didn't matter, though.

Obi-Wan fought smartly. He was conserving his energy, because, most likely, he would have to take on Bokra.

He was gaining on her, pushing her back. She was slowly giving way to him, losing her ground. But she hadn't gieven up yet, and neither would be.

________________________________________

Alex heard running footsteps in the corridor and froze. The others also heard and stopped. Tet rounded the corner and almost ran into Alex. Tet looked just as surprised to see them as they were to see him.

Alex held a finger to his lips, signaling him to stay quiet. Tet nodded.

"Where's Obi-Wan?" Alex asked.

Tet pointed back the way he had come. "Back there. He's fighting with Synde."

"Who?"

"It's Nyra's real name. Synde Sauro. S.S."

"Sano Sauro's daughter," Ferus said. "I should have known that slimy rat would have a daughter just as bad." He shook his head. "Tet, we'll take care of things on here. You get out of here as fast as possible."

Tet didn't need to be told twice. He took off running to the exit.

"He'll be fine," Ferus said, watching him go.


	23. Bomb

**Bomb**   
  
  


Obi-Wan saw his chance. He had to shake her. Now. He felt Alex, Ferus, and Damar's presences close by. They were coming. He stole a quick glance below him. They were fighting on the balcony where Bokra had been standing earlier. It would work.

He drover her back to the edge of the railing. As she went to swing, he flipped over her head and went somersaulting over the railing, and landed on the floor of the first level. She turned around and looked down at him. There was no way she would attempt that kind of jump. Only a Jedi could make it like that.

Without wasting another second, she turned and ran for the steps. She would try to catch him, assuming he didn't go anywhere.

Just then, Ferus, Alex, and Damar entered the room from a side corridor.

"Ah, we found you," said Ferus.

"Yes," Obi-Wan returned. "But we're not safe yet. Ferus, Damar, I want you to go after Synde...Nyra."

"We know who she is," said Damar. "Tet told us on his way out."

"Be careful. She's not Force-sensitive, but she is trained with a lightsaber and she's very good."

"Where can we find her?" asked Ferus.

"Right here."

Ferus turned around. Synde stood in the entryway, holding her lightsaber, ready to fight. Damar looked at Obi-Wan. "We got this."

Obi-Wan touched Alex on the shoulder. "Let's go."

Alex was glad to be reunited with Obi-Wan. "Where are we going?" he asked when they were in the corridor.

"To find Bokra."

"Why?"

"He's a former Jedi, a traitor to the Order."

"We're going to fight him."

"Absolutely."

______________________________________

Damar and Ferus ignited their lightsabers. Synde took a step towards them, ready to strike. They started circling around, waiting for the right moment to engage.

"I should have known it was you," said Damar, her blue eyes flashing. "I should have suspected you from the moment they threw you in my cell."

Synde chuckled. "But you didn't."

"You're just like your father, you womp rat," said Ferus.

Synde looked pleased. "Wouldn't that be the point? To be just like him? He's very proud of his daughter, I'm sure."

"You'll never get away with this," Damar warned. She swung her violet blade around. Synde blocked it with her own.

"Oh, but I think I will."

The fight began. Damar and Ferus found that indeed she was very good with a lightsaber. She had already fought with Obi-Wan, so she was getting tired. They couldn't let her win. Her movements were getting slightly sluggish. Someone who wasn't Force-sensitive beating two Jedi? No way. Damar could see it in her eyes that she wanted to win very badly, but Damar and Ferus both knew it would only be a matter of time before she was too tired to continue.

Damar dodged, ducked, and deflected everything Synde had to offer. Ferus was next to her, doing the same. He had indeed improved on his skills. They were working together perfectly.

____________________________

"Where do you think he could be?" asked Alex. They had searched the entire first level and prison quarters without finding Bokra and were heading for the second level.

Obi-Wan paused, thinking. "I think I know where he is." He quickened his pace down the steps and did not stop on the first level, but continued down to the sub-level. Alex followed close behind him.

"They are going to blow up the transport," Obi-Wan said over his shoulder. "He'll have killed the Jedi, which he will tell the Emperor and get him some high-and-mighty position in the Empire."

"What about Synde?"

"He could care less about her. He's only in this for himself. He only used her to get what he wanted."

"Where is he putting the bomb?"

"It's in the engine room." Obi-Wan turned a corner, running at top speed.

"Nice."We just have to get to it and find Bokra and the bomb before he sets it off."

They rounded a corner and there was the engine room. They were just in time to see Bokra disappear behind a corner.

"There he is!" Alex pointed and took the lead, Obi-Wan right on his heels. They sprinted across the metal grating in the engine room. As they rounded the corner, they saw Bokra.

He was kneeling over a metal box bolted attached to the floor. It was the bomb. Alex took a flying leap and tackled Bokra, wrenching him away. Bokra saw him, but not until it was too late. He hit the ground hard, unconscious.

Obi-Wan was looking at the bomb. "It's set to go off in five minutes. We have to disable it!" he said.

Obi-Wan went to work. He ripped off the cover to reveal the insides of the bomb with its wires and timer that was quickly counting down to zero.

_______________________________

Synde was backing up slowly. The two Jedi were advancing on her. She was fighting defensively now. Beads of sweat had formed on her brow and her confidence was dwindling. She had backed out of the room and was still backing down the corridor. She knew she couldn't beat them. She just wanted to get out alive. She quickly ducked into a side room. Damar and Ferus followed.

At first glance, she was nowhere. Ferus' eyes scanned the room. It was a conference room with a long table and many chairs. One chair was missing.

Something hard came down on Ferus' head, sending him sprawling to the ground.

That's where it went, he thought.

Damar whirled around. Synde jumped off of the small table she had been standing on. Her lightsaber was no longer activated. She just wanted to escape and run for her life. Damar took a step to her left. Synde, on the other side of the table, went right. Damar went right. Synde stepped left.

Damar sighed. This could go on all day. She deactivated her lightsaber, acting as if she was giving up, then suddenly somersaulted over the table, on top of Synde, pinning her to the ground.

Something cold splashed on Damar's face. She backed up, sputtering. Synde had taken a glass of water from one of the places at the table and threw it in her face. That was really cheap. Damar looked up. Synde was gone.

Ferus was slowly rising, holding his head.

Damar roller her eyes. "Ferus, get up," she hissed, standing over him. 

"I don't think that hurt me as much as it surprised me," he said. He rose to his feet. "I'm ready."

"She ran off. We have to catch her.

"She's trying to get away. She would have headed for the exit. Let's go."

They ran through the corridors toward the exit. They were almost there when they heard:

"Hold it right there."

They slowly turned their heads. Synde was behind them with Tet, holding a blaster to his head. Ferus and Damar raised their arms reluctantly.

"It's my utmost important goal to rid the galaxy of your Jedi. It's the job I was paid to do." She jammed the blaster muzzle under Tet's chin. His face was twisted in fear. "You will listen to me, or Tet here will die. Now, there is a bomb in the engine room, which General Bokra is activating as we speak. Stand where you are." She reached into her pocket and pulled out three pairs of stuncuffs. She cuffed each of them, and shoved them in a closet. Closing the door, she said, "Oh well, it looks like Tet will die anyway. I would love to stay and watch, but I have to watch."

The door shut behind her.


	24. Counting Down

**Counting Down**   
  
  


Alex bent over Obi-Wan's shoulder, watching intensely as he worked to disable the bomb. Though he was so intent on Obi-Wan, his acquired Jedi hearing picked up on the sounds behind him.

Bokra was coming to. He quietly stood up and was trying to creep up behind Alex, to take him by surprise.

Alex and Obi-Wan exchanged looks. Alex nodded. He knew what he had to do.

Alex heard Bokra reach for his lightsaber. As he did, Alex back-flipped behind his and ignited his own lightsaber. He landed behind Bokra.

Bokra whirled around. Alex could see it on his face that he had surprised him, but he quickly recovered and brought his lightsaber around, clashing with Alex's.

Alex fought bravely, just as Obi-Wan had taught him, using the Force all the while. His main task was to keep Bokra away from Obi-Wan while he worked on the bomb.

Obi-Wan was getting nowhere. He had disabled many bomb types, but this one was completely different, obviously made with new technology. Boy, was he behind the times. Exile definitely had its disadvantages when it came to things like this.

The screen told him there were 120 parsecs left before it blew. At best, he would use 30 more parsecs, then it would be time to run.

119...

118...

117...

Bokra was good with his lightsaber, but not as good as Obi-Wan. Alex knew he had learned from the best. He could read Bokra like a book He was predictable. Alex fought hard, looking for when Bokra would mess up and leave himself open, giving Alex opportunity to strike the fatal blow.

102...

101...

100...

Ten more seconds. Forget it, Obi-Wan thought. He leaped up and engaged in the fight with Bokra.

Alex was glad to have Obi-Wan join him. The two of them worked together like clockwork. Bokra was backing up, dangerously close to the edge.

94...

93...

92...

There it was. Bokra's mistake. He turned around to see how close he was to the edge and was surprised at what he saw. He left himself completely open while parrying a blow from Obi-Wan.

Alex spun on his heel and kicked his foot out, catching Bokra in his midsection.

Caught off guard, he was unable to recover. He lost his balance completely and lost his balance. He flailed his arms and screamed as he fell over the edge backwards to his death, into the large.

"Well done, Alex," Obi-Wan said, looking over the edge. He glanced over at the bomb. "We must hurry. We have less than ninety parsecs left before the whole ship blows. We should go back the way we came."

_______________________________

Damar laughed in spite of the situation.

"What's so funny?" Ferus asked. "This is not time to be laughing."

"The lock is inside of the door. We can escape."

"Now, that is funny," said Tet. "Except that we're chained to the wall."

Ferus reached down for his lightsaber, his hands cuffed together. The cuffs gave him just enough room. He successfully ignited his lightsaber.

"Damar, hold your wrists out." Ferus touched the blade to the cuffs and they fell off, smoking from the heat.

Damar ignited her own lightsaber and cut off Tet and Ferus' cuffs. They were free...almost.

"Let's get out of her," Tet said.

They ran out of the room, heading towards the exit. As they rounded the corner, they almost crashed into Alex and Obi-Wan, who looked in big hurry.

"Ferus!" Obi-Wan exclaimed. "Damar, Tet. Thank the Force we found you. We've got to get out of here fast. The bomb is about to go off!"

"We have about twenty parsecs," Alex said.

"Great," said Damar. "Then let's get out of here!"

They all ran as fast as they could through the long corridors of the transport.

15...

14...

13...

"Where's the exit?" shouted Tet.

"Don't worry! We've got that covered," Obi-Wan yelled back over his shoulder.

In reality, he was only guessing. It had been a while since those Temple exercises of finding your was around.

10...

9...

8...

"There it is!" shouted Damar excitedly. Sunlight shone brightly through the exit at the far end of the corridor.

5...

4...

They reached the end of the corridor.

"Run for cover!"

They were all running at full speed. Obi-Wan grabbed Tet and the Jedi all Force-leaped...

...Just as the transport exploded into a million pieces.

They all braced themselves as debris rained down on them. Obi-Wan was covering Tet with his body, and Ferus, Damar, and Alex covered their heads.

After the debris had settled, Obi-Wan stood up and brushed himself off. He helped Tet stand up.

The other three Jedi stood up. "We're fine," come the reply.

Alex turned around. The transport, or what was left, was a pile of scorched metal, with smoking piles of melted metal twisted in indescribable ways around it.

He turned and looked at the others, who were also staring at the rubble. Their faces were smeared with dirt and smoke from the close call with the explosion. He was sure he didn't look much different.

"Well," said Ferus, "That went well."

"She escaped," said Damar.

Suddenly, Obi-Wan froze. He felt something.

Alex looked at him inquisitively, sensing him stiffening up. Ferus felt it too. He exchanged looks with Obi-Wan.

A large shadow fell across them. Instinctively, they all looked up.

"It's an Imperial star destroyer," stated Obi-Wan.

Ferus swallowed nervously. "Ah, yes. I meant to tell you. We've got company. It's Vader."

"I know. I can sense him," Obi-Wan said.

Alex was watching Obi-Wan's reaction. He could tell that he did not want to encounter him.

Obi-Wan spoke. "Jedi, limit your Force connections. He will sense our presences, if he hasn't already. Head for your starfighters."

_________________________________

Vader stood in the navigations room in his star destroyer, watching the charts. They should be landing by now.

Emperor Palpatine's business had taken longer than expected. He had sent him to the Roshan system to settle a dispute there. The new governor had been most uncooperative, so Vader had settled things with some 'aggressive negotiations.' Now they know who's boss.

Now, he was on his way to inspect Dontamo Prison. A new section had just been hastily built for the overflow of prisoners. If he had not had to go to the Roshan system, he would had been able to take the prisoners himself. He was eager to find out which Jedi had been captured.

A uniformed soldier entered the room.

"We are landing, sir," he said, bowing. He had learned not to wait for a reply from Vader, just simply state your business and leave.

Several minutes later, the ramp was lowered and Vader was marching off onto Dontamo soil.

___________________________________

"He's arrived," Alex said over the comm.

They were all in their starfighters; Tet with Ferus, Alex with Obi-Wan, and Damar had her own. T

"The sooner we leave, the better," said Obi-Wan.

"There's Synde," Alex observed. "She's running to meet Vader."

"That will be the last thing she ever did," Ferus chuckled.

They all fired up their engines and blasted off.

_________________________________

A young woman was running towards Vader.

"What do you want?" he demanded.

She bowed respectfully. "I am Synde Sauro, Sano Sauro's daughter. I helped escort the prisoners."

Vader gestured in the direction of the sizzling transport. "In that?"

"Uh, yes, sir. There were several special prisoners -- one Jedi and a Resistance leader -- on the transport. We kept them..."

"Who's we?" Vader interrupted.

"General Bokra and I," she replied. "We kept them separate from the other prisoners for them to crack the codes on the Jedi records."

"And where are the records?"

"They self-destructed when they got the codes wrong."

Vader was getting angry. Even Synde could feel it.

"Then, when we arrived, three more Jedi came to rescue them."

"Where are they now?"

Synde smiled and pointed to the transport. "They died in the explosion."

Vader seemed appeased for the moment.

All of a sudden, Synde felt her throat get tight. She swallowed, then tugged at her collar. She felt like she was suffocating. Her feet were no longer touching anything.

Vader was using the Force to choke her and had picked her up off the ground. "Then who is in those starfighters?" he demanded.

Synde struggled to turn her head. Three starfighters were just taking off. It finally dawned on her what had happened. The Jedi had escaped.

"They're escaping," she rasped, still clawing at the invisible hand that was slowly choking the life out of her.

"Yes, they're escaping. And your fault!"

Synde saw Vader's black for get larger until it filled her vision. She couldn't see anything but him. Then, nothing.

Vader threw Synde's unconscious body to the ground, disgusted. "Lock her up," he ordered.


	25. Home

The Jedi returned to Kreon to split ways.

"Well, it's time to say goodbye," said Ferus.

"It's nice to know there are more Jedi in the galaxy. For a while, I thought I might be the only one left," Damar said.

"Are you going to add me to your records?" Alex asked her.

She smiled. "I think I'll have to start over on that job, thanks to Master Kenobi over here."

"You were great, though, Alex," Ferus complimented him.

"So were you," Alex shot back.

Damar rolled her eyes. "I beg to differ."

"Are you still sore at me?"

"You know I am."

"Why? I helped you fight Synde. I was the one who got knocked in the head with that chair. If I hadn't gone first, that would have been you," Ferus reminded her.

Damar still held her mock scowl, then finally rolled her eyes. "Okay. I forgive you. I guess you proved yourself. But mostly because you got hit in the head with a chair. That was priceless."

"What's this all about?" inquired Obi-Wan.

Damar shook her head. "Forget it."

"I see." Obi-Wan turned to Ferus. "Thank you for your help, Ferus. What are your plans now?"

"I'm going back to Alderaan under deep cover once again," he replied.

"What about you, Damar?" Alex turned to the female Jedi.

"I guess I'm going to Alederaan, too. Ferus can protect me. Or, at least, I hope he can."

Obi-Wan nodded. "That's good." He turned back to Alex. "We'd best be going."

Alex and Obi-Wan had teken back the starfighters and had gotten back his two-passenger spaceship that they had taken to Kreon and were heading back to Tatooine. Alex was glad for some time alone with his Master -- his uncle. His only family alive.

Tet went back to Kreon and rejoined with the other Resistance fighters, who were rapidly expanding. Maybe Kreon would get their freedom back. The Resistance fighters were strong, and Tet was a good leader.

"You were great, Alex," Obi-Wan said. "You have learned well."

"Thank you."

They rode in silence for several minutes, saying nothing.

"Do I always have to all you 'Master Obi-Wan Kenobi?'"

"What are you suggesting?"

Alex shrugged. "I don't know."

Obi-Wan thought about it. "Come to think of it, we should probably drop the Master, altogether. It will probably draw too much attention to us in the long run. Some unwanted attention."

"How about just 'Obi-Wan' then?"

"How about 'Ben'? Obi-Wan will also draw attention. I have to be very careful." He smiled at his padawan -- nephew. He didn't show it much, but he was happy to have Alex there.

They lapsed into silence again, each one deep in his own thoughts.

Finally, Alex spoke. "Why didn't you tell me?"

Obi-Wan looked at him. "Tell you what?"

"About Anakin."

Obi-Wan stared into the vastness of space for a few moments. Alex looked at him, waiting for an answer. He knew he had hit a tender spot.

"Ferus told you."

"Yes. But why did you tell me he was dead?" Alex asked.

"Because that's what he is to me and a lot of other people. That day, when he knelt in front of Palpatine and pledged to be his apprentice, Anakin Skywalker died, and Darth Vader took over. I think of him that way because the thought that my apprentice, my friend, turned to the dark side, is unbearable. Do you understand?"

Alex nodded.

Obi-Wan sighed. "I have many fond memories of him and I focus only on them. He was a great Jedi. You would have like him."

"Really?"

Obi-Wan nodded. "You remind me a good bit of him.:

"How?"

"Well, for one thing, you go headfirst into danger without thinking and come out alive."

Alex looked back at Obi-Wan. "I guess I do have that tendency. I'll take that as a compliment. Thank you, Ma...Ian."


End file.
